Prince William paid a historic visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday, the final day of his tour of the Middle East.

The Duke of Cambridge donned a navy kippah as he approached the site accompanied by Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

In keeping with centuries-old tradition, he placed a small note in a crack between the stones of the ancient monument before resting his palm upon the structure and closing his eyes in a few short moments of silent prayer.

"Today we experienced a moment of history which will live long in the memory of Jews around the world," Rabbi Mirvis said.

"The Western Wall stands at the epicentre of our faith.

"To see the future monarch come to pay his respects was a remarkable gesture of friendship and a sign of the Duke's regard for the sanctity of Jerusalem."

The Duke’s day began with a trip to the Mount of Olives, where he took in the view of Jerusalem’s Old City and received a briefing on the city’s thousands of years of history.

LIVE COVERAGE: Follow the Duke's movements as they happen in our blog

He then walked the short distance to the nearby Russian Orthodox church, where he paid tribute to Princess Alice, his great-grandmother and mother to Prince Philip, who is buried there in recognition of her work saving Jewish lives during the Second World War.

William’s morning in Jerusalem continued with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the home of two of the holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and the empty tomb from which he is said to have been buried and resurrected.

He then climbed the Temple Mount to visit the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest sites in Islam.