The Duke of Cambridge is to become the first member of the Royal Family to make an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, in his most diplomatically sensitive tour yet.

The Duke will travel to the region this summer for a deeply significant visit, ending what has been perceived by some as a 70-year snub of Israel.

Kensington Palace has announced that the Duke will undertake the visit to Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, on the request of the Foreign Office.

It is the first time an official visit has been made to the Occupied Palestinian Territories by a member of the British Royal Family, with the Duke becoming the first senior Royal to visit Israel in the line of duty.

The tour, which the Duke will undertake without his wife and children, is the most politically sensitive task of his career by some measure, with recent trips to confined to uncontroversial expeditions to Canada, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.