The UK’s heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales, will return to Qatar next week, less than a year after his previous visit.

Prince Charles visited Qatar last March with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, as part of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture.

This time, he will be traveling alone for a visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which will run from Monday, Feb. 17 to Thursday, Feb. 20.

No specific breakdown of the Prince’s schedule has been released yet, although a statement from the British Embassy suggests that this visit will focus on developing personal relationships between the British, KSA and Qatari royal families, which the embassy describes as “long-standing and respectful.”

Prince Charles will travel to KSA first,  as a guest of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In Qatar, he will meet with the Emir and other senior members of the royal family.

‘Key partners’

The British Embassy has said that this repeat visit is a sign of “the importance the British Government places on its association with key partners in the area.”

Qatari investment has also become increasingly important to the British economy in recent years. Qatari investors  have made several high profile purchases in the UK, including the Shard, Europe’s tallest building; the Harrods department store; and large stakes in Barclays Bank and the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain.

The UK is also hoping that Qatar will decide to purchase BAE Systems’ Typhoon fighter jet, as the country seeks to buy 72 new aircraft as part of an expansion of its air force.

It’s been reported that Qatar is still deciding between the UK’s Typhoon, France’s Dassault Rafale, and the USA’s Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15 Strike Eagle.

Thoughts?