The Prince of Wales has held talks with the Archbishop of Canterbury and a leading Sunni Muslim scholar and cleric, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.

Charles invited the two religious figures to his Clarence House home for the informal meeting early this evening.

As the group sat down, the Prince told the prominent Muslim cleric, who is from Egypt, how much he had enjoyed his visit to Cairo, which his guest reminded him was in March 2006.

Details of the discussions were not released by Clarence House but it is likely interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians was one topic on the agenda.

The Grand Imam was president of Cario's Al-Azhar University before taking up his leading religious post, considered by some Muslims to be the highest authority in Sunni Islamic thought and Islamic jurisprudence.

Charles visited the university during his 2006 trip to Egypt and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the institution for his work encouraging interfaith dialogue.

The Prince has spoken out in recent years about the threat to the Orthodox Christian Coptic church in the Middle East region.

In the UK he has met Christian Syrians and Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes following the raise of Islamic State, and heard the stories of Britons whose relatives in the two nations have been persecuted.

The Grand Imam, Professor Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, have been holding separate bilateral talks which began yesterday at Lambeth Palace.

The formal relationship between the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar was officially established in 2002 in the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks to foster links between the two religions.