Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, will visit the city of Split on May 16 and 17, where he will be hosted by Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara who will accompany the prince on a tour of Diocletian's Palace, the city authorities reported on Thursday.

“The palace symbolises the close ties between Great Britain and Croatia in the 18th century. Scottish architect Robert Adam was enthralled by its architecture and used it as an inspiration to design buildings in Britain,” the city authorities said.

His Royal Highness will host a dinner for local government officials and representatives of the armed forces that will be held on the HMS Duncan in Split’s port to celebrate the United Kingdom and Croatia’s close cooperation in defence and security, their cooperation within NATO and the 10th anniversary of Croatia’s NATO membership.

Prince Edward will also visit a high school that has been collaborating with Aston College in Dover for the past 25 years and he will open an office of the ICE Marine Design, a British company that specialises in designing boats and plans to employ 60 people in Croatia over the next two years.

The prince will also meet with Professor Miroslav Radman of the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MEDILS) who is currently working with the University of Cambridge on research that should help us to live longer and healthier lives, a press release said.

This will be His Royal Highness’s first official visit to Croatia. His brother, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has visited Croatia on a number of occasions (most recently in 2016) and his sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, visited Croatia in 2009. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Croatia in 1972, the city authorities recalled.

Members of the Royal family are considered to be ambassadors of the United Kingdom and The Queen. Their visits show respect and care toward the countries they visit, a press release by British Ambassador to Croatia Andrew Dalgleish said.

According to the ambassador, Prince Edward’s visit highlights the lasting friendship and partnership between the two countries. Our countries have been connected on so many levels, throughout history and today in culture, science, defence and security, values and business. There is nothing more natural than to upgrade that great basis in the future, he said.