The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are among the United Kingdom's most important ambassadors.

Every year, Their Royal Highnesses travel abroad at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to further British diplomatic interests, raise the UK’s profile in the country visited and promote British excellence.

Overseas visits enable The Prince to familiarise himself with a wide range of international issues and to meet many Heads of State and senior officials.

His Royal Highness often represents The Queen at overseas events, such as the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy, in April 2005.

The Prince tries to find ways for his charities to work for the benefit of the international community and often visits projects set up by his own charities during overseas visits.

For example, The Prince's Youth Business International (YBI) has helped disadvantaged young people around the world set up more than 90,000 businesses to become entrepreneurs. In turn, these businesses have provided employment to hundreds of thousands of others.

His Royal Highness launched The Prince of Wales’s Bhumi Vardaan Foundation during his visit to India in March 2006, an organisation which promotes responsible farming to ensure a sustainable future on the land for smaller farmers and their descendants.

Commonwealth countries account for a large part of The Prince of Wales's overseas travel schedule. In 2009, The Prince and The Duchess visited Canada, a Commonwealth Realm for an extensive 12-day visit.

In 2006, Their Royal Highnesses visited India and Pakistan, and in March 2005, The Prince of Wales visited Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. During a visit to Uganda in November 2007, The Prince attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Click here to view a list of countries visited by The Prince of Wales on his official website.