King Charles hosts Sultan of Oman for Windsor Castle state visit
King Charles III has welcomed His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al Said of Oman to Britain for a state visit based at Windsor Castle.
The official programme runs from 20 to 22 October 2026. The King is joined as host by Queen Camilla, with the Prince and Princess of Wales taking a major supporting role in the welcome Reuters.
The Sultan arrived at Stansted Airport in Essex on Monday ahead of the visit. He was met on the tarmac by Lord Henry Hood, acting on behalf of the King, in the formal greeting that opens every state visit Hello! Magazine.
A state visit is the highest form of official welcome Britain offers to a foreign head of state. It is issued in the King's name on government advice, and the guest traditionally stays as the monarch's guest. On this occasion the Sultan will stay at Windsor Castle, which is now the regular setting for such visits.
The Royal Household announced the visit on 3 September, describing it as a State Visit by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman The Royal Household. That notice confirmed a private meeting the previous year, when the King received the Sultan for tea at Windsor Castle on 4 July 2025.
This is familiar ground, not a first meeting. The Sultan's July 2025 trip was a private visit. The Prince of Wales also travelled overnight to Oman in January 2020 after the death of the then ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said.
History gives the week extra weight. The last state visit by a Sultan of Oman was in 1982, when Queen Elizabeth II hosted Sultan Qaboos bin Said at Buckingham Palace. Sultan Qaboos was the cousin of Sultan Haitham. The current visit will be the first by a Sultan of Oman to be hosted at Windsor Castle.
Expect Windsor to look different this week. Thames Valley Police has said there will be a visible and enhanced police and security presence around the town for the duration of the visit BBC News. That is standard for a state occasion, when road closures, escorts and castle security run together.
What makes this stand out for viewers is the setting. Windsor allows the full traditional sequence in one place, from the carriage welcome to the state banquet. Keep an eye on the Court Circular, the daily official record of royal engagements, for the confirmed order of events.
