Oman's Sultan Haitham entered St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle for a state banquet on Tuesday wearing a black velvet bisht with heavily embroidered golden borders at the collar, along the front buttons and at the seams.
The striped purple and blue turban made of fine cashmere closely matched the attire worn by his predecessor, the late Sultan Qaboos on his own visit to the UK in 1982. It was a ceremonial outfit fitting for the state visit to the castle, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The leader of Oman cuts a distinctive figure in the portals of power, with a variety of looks that are all tailored to the occasion.
As he stepped down from the plane at Stansted airport on Monday, he was dressed in a simple blue suit, with a tunic jacket and a grey Karakul or Astrakhan hat.
Serious times
At the centre of the state banquet table was the St George and the Dragon candelabrum, surrounded by pomegranates grown on the East Terrace of the castle. The menu included Scottish langoustine and Cornish crab with avocado and tomato. The main course was pot-roasted Windsor pheasant with spiced quince. For dessert, guests enjoyed individual baked Alaska.
After-dinner drinks included iced Earl Grey and date, iced mint and rose tea.
World politics were at the heart of the invitation. King Charles praised Oman’s pivotal role in securing the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran since March.
He thanked Oman’s “noble efforts in trying to keep open one of the world's most important shipping routes”. He also announced that his son, Prince William, would soon launch a project with the Sultan’s son.
Sultan Haitham’s clothes choices can be as shape-shifting as the country’s politics. While Oman has emerged as a key mediator with Iran in the Gulf and the Houthis in the Red Sea, it is also fast-tracking reforms to supercharge investments and build new hubs and free zones.
On Wednesday, Sultan Haitham will make his third visit to Downing Street – the Prime Minister’s residence – in three years. The two countries’ foreign, defence and trade ministers will also hold a separate meeting.
Sultan Haitham met former prime minister Keir Starmer shortly before his departure from office in the summer. His outfit then was modern and businesslike: a blue tailored tunic and classic-fit trousers with the smart black hat.
Andy Burnham – who succeeded Mr Starmer in July – is equally as open to working with Oman. This is largely over Oman’s plans for a growth hub at Al Batinah. It was inspired by a similar project established by Mr Burnham when he was Mayor on Manchester, and the pair spoke about it in July during their first phone call.
“The UK and Oman have built a friendship which generates real benefits for people at home, and I look forward to shaping the next chapter of our relationship,” Mr Burnham said ahead of the meeting on Wednesday.
The four-day trip has many nods to the long history of British-Omani relations, which date back to the founding of the sultanate and the routes of seaborne trade. The state visit in 1982 took place shortly after the UK and Oman had partnered in a counterinsurgency that began with a rebellion by Marxist groups in Dhofar in 1965.
While Sultan Haitham‘s outfits for the state visit mimic those worn by his predecessor in 1982, they have more modern touches.
Sultan Haitham met King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle on Tuesday morning wearing a grey worsted wool open abaya with ornate golden embroidery at the seams.
Beneath it was a grey tailored tunic and trousers of the same grey fabric, and black dress shoes. His headwear was a white turban.
Sultan Haitham met the late Queen Elizabeth II soon after his accession to the throne, dropping by for tea in 2021. On that occasion he wore a three-piece suit in the British style.
The Savile Row tailor Dege and Skinner, known for its long history of military and diplomatic uniforms, boasts a royal warrant from the Omani rulers. That relationship dates back to a “trunk show” in Oman by its fitters in the 1970s and the warrant was awarded in 1981.