Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at Windsor Castle for a state visit next month, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Sultan Haitham will visit from October 20 to 22, in a trip expected to put the close UK-Omani relationship and Oman’s diplomatic role in the Middle East under the spotlight.
The visit comes as hostilities are intensifying in the ongoing US-Iran war.
Oman has sought to maintain its position as an intermediary with Iran, involving itself in efforts to restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway carries a substantial proportion of the world's seaborne oil and gas exports, making maritime security in the area a major concern for Britain and its allies.
Oman has long maintained close defence and security links with Britain, while also retaining diplomatic channels with countries on opposing sides of Middle East conflicts.
The UK government says the bilateral relationship covers trade, education, culture, defence and diplomacy. Britain has also invested in military infrastructure at Oman’s strategic Duqm port, supporting Royal Navy operations in the Gulf and wider Indian Ocean.
The state visit follows a private meeting between Sultan Haitham and King Charles at Windsor Castle in July last year. Then, Sultan Haitham also met Keir Starmer, prime minister at the time, in London, and the two countries agreed to deepen co-operation in defence, energy and technology.
With next month's visit, Britain is expected to stress its interest in preserving a key relationship in the Gulf at a time of regional conflict.
