King Charles welcomes Sultan of Oman to Windsor for state visit

King Charles welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor Castle for a three-day state visit, with an elaborate state banquet held around a 47 metre mahogany table. The King greeted the Sultan in Arabic and used his speech to hail the special relationship between the two countries.

At the banquet, the King paid tribute to Oman's constructive neutrality at a time when conflict has returned painfully to the region. He described Oman as a trusted interlocutor to all parties. He said Oman's efforts to keep open one of the world's most important shipping routes had been of great service to the international community and particularly to the most vulnerable. He added that Oman's role across the Gulf and its neutrality mattered far beyond Hormuz and was worthy of the utmost respect.

Eight working members of the royal family attended the dinner, which was described as opulent. The Princess of Wales wore a pale yellow, billowing floor-length gown, and the Prime Minister was also present. More meetings are scheduled during the visit. The King also noted that Prince William and the Sultan's son were joint patrons of an Omani expedition.

The visit comes amid heightened Gulf security tensions. Oman sits on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran and has tried to propose ways for ships to pass safely along the Omani coast. Britain has a close relationship with Oman, including an important defence relationship with deployments and training in the country. The Sultan is relatively new, following Sultan Qaboos, who had close ties to Britain. Coverage also noted a wider Western military build-up in the region, with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed and a third on the way.

The state visit coincided with the release of an interview with the Duke of Sussex. A royal commentator said the timing was interesting but doubted it was deliberate, describing the Duke as traumatised and saying he kept making bad press decisions.