Prince Edward will travel to South Africa next week, despite the Royal Family facing a shortage of working royals.
The Duke of Edinburgh is one of the key senior royals left to carry out duties while King Charles and Princess Kate receive hospital treatment over the coming weeks.
The Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery on Tuesday, while the King is due to receive hospital treatment next week for an enlarged prostate.
This means the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, as well as Princess Anne, will likely have to increase their workload as a result.
Prince Edward travelling to South Africa next week despite Royal Family facing shortage crisis
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Prince Edward, 59, will travel to Pretoria, South Africa for a working visit between January 22 and 23.
The visit follows the successful State Visit that President Cyril Ramaphosa took to the United Kingdom in 2022.
Prince Edward's visit is also evidence of the strong relationship between the UK and South Africa.
During his visit, the duke will meet stakeholders from WWF South Africa, Endangered Wildlife Trust, GreenMatterZA, TRAFFIC, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Birdlife, and Conservation South Africa.
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie will likely increase their workload over the next few weeks
PAPrince Edward will also meet the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy, for a tour of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden.
He will be accompanied on the tour by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) CEO, Shonisani Munzhedi.
The duke will also meet the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande at a dinner marking the deep partnership between South Africa and the UK in the field of Science and Innovation.
In addition, Edward will meet awardees of the President’s Awards, the international version of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, of which President Ramaphosa is a Patron.
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During the courtesy call, Deputy President Mashatile will hold discussions with the duke on the relationship between South Africa and the UK.
Prince Edward is married to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and the couple share two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 20, and James, Earl of Wessex, 16.