The key facts
- Sultan Haitham arrived in the United Kingdom on 20 October; the banquet at Windsor Castle took place on 21 October
- Charles III thanked Oman for its efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran since March, open
- On Wednesday the Sultan will hold his third meeting in three years at Downing Street with Prime Minister Andy Burnham
State visit in Windsor
Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday, 20 October, on a four-day state visit. On Tuesday he attended a state banquet in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. At the meeting with the royal couple on Tuesday morning, the Sultan wore a grey open abaya of wool with gold embroidery, with a grey tunic and trousers underneath, and a white turban on his head.
Style echoing 1982
For the banquet the Sultan wore a black velvet bisht with gold embroidery and a striped purple-blue cashmere turban, close to the attire of his predecessor, the late Sultan Qaboos, during his visit to the United Kingdom in 1982 — with modern touches. On arrival at Stansted Airport he was in a simple blue suit with a tunic and a grey karakul hat. The National notes that the Sultan varies his style depending on the occasion: in 2021, shortly after ascending the throne, he met Queen Elizabeth II over tea in a British three-piece suit. Savile Row tailor Dege and Skinner, which has held a royal warrant from Oman's rulers since 1981, has served the Sultanate since the 1970s.
Political context of the banquet
At the banquet, King Charles III highly praised Oman's role in ensuring the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran since March, thanking it for its 'noble efforts to keep one of the world's most important shipping routes open'. He also announced that Prince William will soon launch a joint project with the Sultan's son. The table was adorned with the 'St George and the Dragon' candelabra and pomegranates from the castle's east terrace; the menu included Scottish langoustines, Cornish crab, roasted Windsor pheasant with spiced quince and a baked Alaska dessert.
Wednesday meetings and reforms in Oman
On Wednesday Sultan Haitham will make his third visit to Downing Street in three years; the foreign, defence and trade ministers of the two countries will meet separately. In the summer, the Sultan met former Prime Minister Keir Starmer shortly before he left office. The new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who replaced Starmer in July, is also open to cooperation — in particular because of Oman's plans to create a growth hub in Al Batinah, inspired by a similar project of Burnham's from his time as Mayor of Manchester; they discussed it in July in their first phone call. 'The United Kingdom and Oman have built a friendship that delivers real benefits for people at home, and I look forward to shaping the next chapter of our relationship,' Burnham said ahead of the meeting. The National notes that Oman acts as a key mediator with Iran in the Persian Gulf region and with the Houthis in the Red Sea, while accelerating reforms to attract investment and create new hubs and free zones. The visit contains references to long-standing British-Omani ties: the 1982 visit took place shortly after a joint counterinsurgency campaign that began with the uprising of Marxist groups in Dhofar in 1965.
