Harry and Meghan kick off tour of Jordan with refugee camp visit and World Health Organisation roundtable

Meghan Markle was brought close to tears as her two-day tour of Jordan with Prince Harry kicked off.

Alongside her husband, the Duchess of Sussex visited the Specialty Hospital in the capital city of Amman, where they met Maria, a 14-year-old burn victim from Gaza.

The couple listened intently as they heard a doctor talk through Maria's injuries and treatment before speaking with the teen themselves.

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At one point, Meghan took Maria's hand as she crouched beside the 14-year-old's bedside.

Another moment showed the duchess, a mother-of-two, visibly moved as she heard from medical staff caring for patients wounded in Gaza.

The duke and duchess arrived in Amman on Wednesday morning (evening AEDT), after accepting an invitation from World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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Ghebreyesus greeted the couple as they arrived at the WHO offices where they took part in a round table with senior representatives from multiple UN bodies, including UNWRA, UNHCR, the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then visited the world's largest refugee camp for displaced Syrians, Za'atari Refugee Camp, home to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians living in semi-permanent accommodation.

There, they toured a youth centre which provides kids with activities such as art, photography, music and sport to help with their mental health.

Harry and Meghan played a little football before they visited classrooms, listened to teenage girls playing Arabic instruments in one section, while another violin and guitar performance awaited them in another.

The duke and duchess, who have been long-time supporters of World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder José Andrés, also met with WCK staff who were coordinating food relief for Gaza from Amman.

While the couple's visit is in partnership with the WHO and has nothing to do with the British government, it's understood members of the royal family were still notified in advance.

The British ambassador to Jordan, Philip Hall, thanked the Sussexes - who stepped down as working royals in 2020 - for making the trip from their LA home to the Middle East.

"Your visit, your support, your appreciation of the efforts that the United Nations, including of course, the World Health Organisation, the government of Jordan and others, are making here is enormously appreciated," he said.

It marks Harry and Meghan's first joint international trip in almost 18 months, having visited Colombia in August 2024.

Their visit, which is not unlike a royal tour, is designed to highlight the efforts to support mental health and vulnerable communities affected by displacement from surrounding Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Palestine and Israel.

The couple's Archewell Foundation announced in September they would donate $US500,000 ($705,000) to projects supporting children in Gaza and Ukraine.

This included the Centre of Blast Injury Studies in London, which Prince Harry visited last year, who are developing prosthetic limbs for kids impacted by conflict.

The fund also was divided up between a WHO-led initiative supporting medical evacuations from Gaza to Jordan and Save the Children's humanitarian support in Gaza.

Harry and Meghan first partnered with the WHO in a campaign for vaccine equity in 2021, where they co-hosted a high-level even at the UN General Assembly.

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