Prince William visits great-grandmother's tomb

On Sunday, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, began his five-day visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan. Thursday was his last day of touring and he visited Jerusalem.

There he took the time to visit his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg’s tomb. BBC reported that the Prince laid flowers at her tomb.

Since arriving for his tour, Prince William has met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its President Reuven Rivlin. He’s also met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Thursday, William made the time to go to Jerusalem to visit his great-grandmother, Princess Alice’s tomb at the Church of Mary Magdalene. There William took bread and salt at the entrance of the church before laying flowers on her tomb.

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The flowers were picked from the garden of Philip Hall, Britain's Consul General in Jerusalem.

The head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Roman, recited a "prayer for the repose of Princess Alice's soul" and the Duke bowed his head with his eyes closed.

"He was certainly moved to learn more about his family history and pay his respects to his great-grandmother in such a holy place."

Archimandrite Roman, BBC, June 28, 2018

After the visit, Roman said, "He said he found it profoundly moving.” The Prince initially began his morning on the Mount of Olives viewing Jerusalem's Old City.

During his trip, he also visited the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, a site that is sacred to Jews and Muslims. He then went to the adjacent Western Wall which is the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray.

At the wall, he was seen wearing a yarmulke as he took a moment of contemplation. He also placed a written prayer into one of the cracks in the wall.

Prince William's tour ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is widely regarded as Christianity's holiest place. Many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected on the site.

Princess Alice was married to Prince Andrew of Greece. Alice was the mother of William's grandfather Prince Philip.

She briefly lived at Buckingham Palace before her death in 1969.

The Princess is remembered for saving the life of a Jewish family in Athens during the Holocaust by sheltering them in her home from the Nazis. She was a nun for many years and was first laid to rest at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 1969.

At her request, she was interred, in 1988, at the Russian Orthodox Church on the Mount of Olives, near her aunt Elizabeth, the Grand Duchess of Russia.