Photo: The Royal Household
First in 44 years: Charles and Camilla welcome the Sultan of Oman
King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman at Windsor, together with William and Kate. It is the first state visit to the UK by a Sultan of Oman in 44 years.
King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman at Windsor on Tuesday, at the start of a three-day state visit. The Prince and Princess of Wales also took part.
It is the first state visit to the United Kingdom by a Sultan of Oman in 44 years. The last was in 1982, when Queen Elizabeth hosted Sultan Qaboos.
Carriages in the rain
Prince William escorted the Sultan from his London residence to Windsor. There he was given a ceremonial welcome, with a royal salute and the national anthems of both countries. A royal salute was also fired at the Tower of London.
The Sultan rode with the King in a horse-drawn carriage through Windsor to the castle, with troops lining the entire route. The Queen travelled in another carriage with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, Shihab bin Tariq, and William and Catherine rode with Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham.
On arrival at the castle, the Sultan and the King inspected the guard of honour. Both declined umbrellas, even though it was raining.
Objects from Oman in the Royal Collection
Later the King and Queen showed the Sultan a special display of items relating to Oman from the Royal Collection. Among them was the order Sultan Qaboos presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1982, and photographs from the Queen's state visit to Oman in 1979. The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh also joined them.
The rest of the programme
A state banquet at Windsor Castle is planned for Tuesday evening. On Wednesday the Sultan will meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street and attend a banquet in the City of London. On Thursday he will visit the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.