Prince reveals he is trying to learn Arabic

Charles told guests at a reception in Qatar that the language “goes in one ear and out the other”, but an aide disclosed that he has been having private tuition for more than six months.

The Prince’s new skill could help his desire to encourage dialogue between different religions, as he would be able to read the Koran in its original form.

Charles was in Doha at the Qatar-UK Alumni Network, for Qataris who have attended British universities, when he told a group of guests: “You all speak such good English.”

Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, chairman of the association and Qatar’s energy minister, asked the Prince if he spoke any Arabic.

He replied: “I tried to learn it once but I gave up. It goes in one ear and out the other.”

Dr Al-Sada told him: “It’s never too late to learn.”

An aide confirmed afterwards that Charles has been taking lessons. He also speaks French, some German, and has also had tuition in Welsh.

At the Doha Science and Technology Park, Charles was given the chance to step into the shoes of a Doha taxi driver, as he had a go on a driving simulator.

Visiting the Williams F1 Technology Centre, the Prince tried his hand at the simulator which features the seat and dashboard of a Range Rover and projects a 3D recreation of the Qatari capital.

Despite it being a road safety simulator, Charles was not keen to buckle up and asked: “Do I have to put my seat belt on?”

The Duchess of Cornwall visited a ground-breaking new initiative where Bedouin women are becoming sales agents for a mobile phone company.

The women, who come from very traditional backgrounds, are barred from talking to men who are not their immediate family and never have the chance to socialise with other women.

But now their new jobs with Vodafone, based at the technology park, means they have been able to buy bigger homes for their families.