Prince William teases future royal trip and reveals he's trying to 'make it happen'

Prince William visited the Royal Geographic Society in London today with the heir to the Omani throne Theyazin bin Haitham where they launched a new expedition taking place in Oman next year

Prince William has spoken of his desire to return to the Middle East as he launched an expedition inspired by a famous British explorer.

The Prince of Wales, who last visited Oman in 2019, was joined at the Royal Geographic Society by heir to the Omani throne Theyazin bin Haitham, as they met crew members from an expedition which aims to retrace the footsteps of famous British explorer Bertram Thomas. The two royal heirs are co-patrons of the Jewel of Arabia Expedition, which will see a crew of six traverse one of the most inhospitable places on earth in a thirty-day journey on foot, by camel and with the use of 4x4 vehicles along Oman's coastline.

The trek has been designed to promote the heritage of the country and highlight the environmental pressures facing the country. The team will be retracing the steps of British explorer Bertram Thomas who made the journey in 1928. Thomas kept diaries of his travels, accompanied by photographs and detailed maps of the area.

After being shown a presentation about the expedition in the Education Room at the Royal Geographic Society, William said: "I've just had the opportunity to look through some of the images from the RGS collection and they bring back warm memories of my visit to Oman in 2019. This expedition will not only highlight Oman’s rich biodiversity and natural heritage, but also symbolises the enduring friendship between our two countries.

"This was again demonstrated by the recent visit to the UK by His Majesty the Sultan of Oman. The expedition will walk in the footsteps of British explorer Bertram Thomas, taking in the wonderful coastline of Oman. They will be able to see the beauty of Oman, but also the damage done by climate change."

He wished the team "the very best for the expedition", adding: "I wish I was able to join you but I will be following it very closely." William added that he was 'delighted' that one of the previous winners from the Earthshot Prize had come from Oman. The firm 44.01, named after the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, won the prize in 2022 for its work to permanently remove CO2 by mineralising it in peridotite, a rock found in abundance in Oman.

The Rub Al Khali, the largest sand desert in the world, is one of the hottest, driest and most inhospitable places on earth. Encompassing Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen is known as the 'Empty Quarter'. Mark Evans, 63, expedition leader who moved from the UK to Oman 22 years ago and has taken part in various expeditions with the Outward Bound Trust, said: "The stars of the show will undoubtedly be the camels" who are currently in "camel boot camp" in Oman to prepare for them for the month-long desert trek.

They will start each day at 5am, aim to cover 25 to 30 kilometres a day and will sleep in the desert without tents. He said of his team: "We will walk ourselves fit, we're not trying to be the fastest, that's meaningless for me, it's all about slow travel, telling stories, and using technology to put the spotlight on a country that is actually so naturally reserved, it never puts itself front of house. I just hope that they will use it to challenge their own stereotypes of the Middle East.

"The involvement of the two patrons really does put a super bright spotlight on the messaging of innovation and young people engaging with biodiversity and sustainability."

Evans will be joined on the journey by Nigel Harling, a British police officer with exploration experience, Ana-Maria Pavalache, a mountain leader and photographer, Dhirka Al Mawali and Ibrahim Al Hasni, instructors with Outward Bound Oman, and Amour Al Wahibi who Evans said was "the only one who knows how to find first gear on a camel". Along the route, they will be met by young people from schools across Oman.

On the third day of the trip, a specially-adapted 'Boma' off-road wheelchair made by Equal Adventure, a Scottish company, will enable a disabled young person to experience part of the journey. While Prince William does not plan to fly to Oman in January to join the expedition, he told guests at the Royal Geographic Society that he would "try and make something happen" in the future regarding another visit to Oman.

The prince added: "We’re in the planning process." William was keen to know how the crew would navigate across the desert and how young people in Oman were engaging with environmental issues.

Before giving short speeches, William and His Royal Highness Theyazin were shown pictures captured by British explorer Bertram Thomas during his own travels in the Empty Quarter. Bertram Thomas, a ground-breaking explorer from Pill near Bristol, wrote extensive field notes which he typed up when he returned from his travels.

Upon completing his expedition, he received congratulatory telegrams from King George V and Sultan Taimur, then the ruler of Oman. He lived and worked for the Sultan of Oman, taking leave in the winter months to travel widely through the country. At the time, there was huge interest by Arabia in the 1920s, particularly following the publication of T.E. Lawrence the Seven pillars of wisdom.

Following his success, Thomas gave lectures around the world and wrote a book called Arabia Felix, which carried an introduction written by T.E. Lawrence, known as 'Lawrence of Arabia'. The biggest challenges for Thomas were said to have been encountering warring tribes, lack of water in the watering holes and his dependence on his Omani companion, Sheikh Saleh as they tried to navigate their way through the desert.

This time, they will have a new challenge: 'soft' camels, who are not deemed to be as hardy as those in the past, and a desire to engage with new technology so that their journey can be shared in real time. Podcasts, interviews on Omani radio and an online tracker will all be used so that, through technology, people can track their journey in real time. Next year, 2025, will be 225 years since a friendship treaty was signed between Britain and Oman.