Prince Harry considering royal tour to China

The 27-year-old Prince has been asked by the Foreign Office to visit China following his four-month deployment to Afghanistan which began last week, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A visit by a senior member of the royal family would be a major diplomatic boost for Britain's relationship with China.

Tensions have recently escalated between the two countries following the Government and the royal family's ongoing dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and critic of the Chinese regime, and the murder of the British businessman Neil Heywood by the wife of the prominent Chinese politician Bo Xilai.

Harry's father, Prince Charles, is seen as having a troubled relationship with China, which he has never visited.

But Charles has recently attempted to improve relations with the Chinese, establishing the Prince's Charities Foundation (China) in 2009 in Beijing, which promotes his interests including traditional architecture, the arts, the environment and alternative health.

Courtiers will be hoping that the trip will improve Prince Harry's profile following the embarrassment over the publication of naked pictures of him on holiday in Las Vegas last month, and build on his four-month tour of duty in Afghanistan as the co-pilot an Apache helicopter gunship.

A trip to the world's most populous country would be only his second solo overseas tour.

Earlier this year, the Prince visited the Caribbean and Brazil on a 10-day Diamond Jubilee tour to mark the Queen's 60-year reign and to champion British business interests.