Queen Elizabeth II bestows 'rare and exceptional honour' on Kuwaiti ambassador

Envoy Khaled Al Duwaisan has served in the UK for 30 years

Queen Elizabeth II greets the ambassador of Kuwait at an evening reception for members of the diplomatic corps at Buckingham Palace in 2018. Getty

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has bestowed a rare honour on Kuwait's ambassador Khaled Al Duwaisan, following 30 years of service in the country.

Mr Al Duwaisan was appointed to the Order of St Michael and St George, an honour reserved for those who “render extraordinary or important non-military service in a foreign country”.

Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps Alistair Harrison said the order was a rare and exceptional honour, presented by the queen to an outgoing foreign ambassador in appreciation of his efforts in boosting ties between the two countries, Kuwaiti news agency Kuna reported.

Mr Harrison praised Mr Al Duwaisan’s three decades as ambassador to the UK.

The queen sent a “special car from the Buckingham Palace to bring the ambassador and his wife for the honouring”, Kuna reported.

Mr Al Duwaisan had a video meeting with the queen while at Buckingham Palace and reportedly told her that his success in representing Kuwait in the UK had been thanks to the support of his government.

He has been Kuwait’s ambassador in London since 1992 and became Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in London in 2002. This title is given to the senior diplomatic representative of the diplomatic corps who has served the longest in the country.

His latest award is not Mr Al Duwaisan's first from the British monarch. In 1995, he received an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

The Order of St Michael and St George was founded in 1818 by the Prince Regent George, on behalf of his father George III.