Prince Charles donates to Peres Center for Peace

In the first private donation of its kind to Israel by a member of the British royal family, Prince Charles has donated a gift to the Peres Center for Peace in Israel. The amount of money given has not been disclosed but it has been described as a significant sum. Most donations by the UK royal family are made confidentially with no publicity and there may have been donations to the Peres Center in the past but this is the first to have been made public.

At the invitation of President Reuven Rivlin, Prince Charles made his first official visit to Israel in January 2020 when he spoke at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. He had twice previously visited Israel for the funerals of former Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.

Prince Charles has now decided to donate to the Peres Center for Peace, which works for innovation and coexistence, two subjects close to his heart. Prince Charles reportedly maintains a personal connection with Shimon Peres' son and chairman of the Peres Center, Chemi Peres.

British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan said, "We were honored to host The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge in Israel in past years. This private donation demonstrates the impact of those visits and the importance of the relationship between Israel and the UK".

Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation, Chemi Peres said: "It is a great honour to be the first Israeli non-profit to receive support from a member of the Royal Family. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ generosity will help ensure that the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation continues Shimon Peres’ legacy of building a better future for all people. 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."

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 11, 2020