The Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al Said, arrives at Stansted Airport, for his state visit to the UK. He will be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla on a three-day visit
Aaron Chown - PA Images/Getty ImagesThe Sultan of Oman has arrived in the UK for the start of his three-day state visit.
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al Said landed at Stanstead Airport on Monday evening ahead of the official start of the state visit on Tuesday. The itinerary will include a meeting with the Prime Minister, a formal carriage procession with the King and Queen and a glittering state banquet attended by senior royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Sultan was met in London by Prince William on Tuesday morning before the pair travelled together to Windsor, where the majority of the royal engagements will take place. The Sultanate of Oman owns a number of London residences, including Nuffield Lodge, 35 Upper Brook Street, and the embassy at 167 Queen’s Gate.
State visits have followed a regular pattern during King Charles' reign, with foreign heads of state welcomed to Windsor Castle (while Buckingham Palace undergoes renovations). This March, the King, Queen, and Prince and Princess of Wales greeted Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria's First Lady Oluremi Tinubu
Pool/Getty ImagesThe Sultan will then make his way to the Royal Dais on Dachet Road in Windsor, where he will be officially welcomed by King Charles and Queen Camilla as the sound of a Royal Salute is fired from the Home Park and the Tower of London. The trio will then join the Prince and Princess of Wales for a carriage procession to Windsor Castle – as has become tradition in recent state visits.
State visits are traditionally hosted at Buckingham Palace but it remains under renovation.
Upon arrival in the Quadrangle of the Castle, the royals will be given a Royal Salute by a Guard of Honour while the regimental band plays the Omani and British National Anthems. The Sultan and King Charles will then inspect the Guard before all five royals view a military parade. This will be followed by a lunch in the State Dining Room, with other members of the royal family, and a special exhibition of Oman-related items in the Green Drawing Room.
The Sultan of Oman attended a similar state banquet with King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain in November 2024, suggesting that the British royals may also don their tiaras this October
Carlos Alvarez/Getty ImagesThe culmination of the state visit will come this evening, when King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the Sultan for a state banquet, with both the King and the Sultan delivering speeches. Buckingham Palace has revealed that other members of the royal family will also be attending the banquet, and in recent years, the Princess of Wales has donned a tiara to join the likes of Prince William, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
On Wednesday morning, the King and the Queen will bid farewell to the Sultan of Oman, who will then make his way to London to meet with Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Number 10 Downing Street. But there is more royal pomp and ceremony to come, as His Majesty is then invited to join the Duke of Gloucester for a Guildhall banquet hosted by the Lady Mayor.
On Thursday, the Sultan will conclude his British trip with a visit to Here East at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where he will learn more about place-based transformation and the regeneration projects following the London 2012 Olympics. After a showcase of energy and renewables, he will depart for Oman from Stansted Airport.
