Prince William in China

The Duke of Cambridge arrived in Beijing for an official visit. This is the highest-profile UK royal visit to China in nearly 30 years.

Prince William attends the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, east China
Prince William attends the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, east China

The prince met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The president said the Royal Family had contributed “positively” to co-operation between China and the UK.

Prince William presented him with an official invitation from the Queen to make a state visit later this year, BBC reported.

The meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of People also saw the two men discuss their mutual love of football.

The prince’s trip will see him promote “brand Britain”, highlight the illegal wildlife trade and visit some of the nation’s most famous sites. Chinese officials say the prince and the president discussed wildlife protection, one of the duke’s great passions.

Prince William is the most senior British royal to visit China since the Queen’s tour of the country in 1986. Prince Charles has never visited China and he described Chinese officials as “appalling old waxworks” in a leaked diary, written at the time of the Hong Kong handover in 1997.

He has also hosted the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader who is viewed by China as a separatist threat, at Clarence House.