Prince Charles has made a donation to the Peres Centre for Peace – the first to an Israeli non-profit by a member of the Royal Family. 

The Prince of Wales – who attended Mr Peres’ funeral in 2016 – gave an undisclosed sum to the organisation, established by Israeli statesman Shimon Peres to promote peaceful relations between Israel and its neighbours. 

At the time, His Royal Highness said: “I have always had the greatest admiration for the constancy and determination of President Peres' work for peace over so many years. I pray that his legacy will inspire future generations to continue this work.” 

Mr Peres, who served both as Israeli Prime Minister and President, was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. 

In 2008, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George by the Queen – a first for an Israeli. 

Though Prince Charles did not see the Peres Centre in Tel Aviv during his first official visit to the Jewish state in January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went there during theirs in 2018. 

“We were honoured to host The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge in Israel in past years,” British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan said. 

“This private donation demonstrates the impact of those visits and the importance of the relationship between Israel and the UK.” 

Chemi Peres, chairman of the Peres Centre and son of Shimon, described the donation as a “great honour”, adding: “Especially in the midst of a global pandemic, it is important to reach beyond borders for the sake of a better tomorrow. I thank His Royal Highness for joining hands with us.”