The heir to the British throne will meet the Sultan of Oman at his London home today, highlighting the long presence of Muscat's rulers in the British capital.
The Prince of Wales and Sultan Haitham will travel to Windsor Castle to be met by King Charles III at the start of the Sultan's state visit to the UK.
The last time a Sultan of Oman paid a state visit to the UK was in 1982, when Sultan Al Qaboos visited Queen Elizabeth II. Then the Sultan joined the royal convoy from Victoria Station. In 1967 when Saudi Arabia's King Faisal was on a visit he arrived by car outside the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) on Millbank in London. More recently state visits have begun at embassies or hotels.
King Charles and Sultan Haitham will spend Tuesday at Windsor Castle, with a state banquet and engagements involving the Queen and members of the royal family planned. The King last hosted Sultan Haitham in 2025 for tea at Windsor Castle during a private visit.
It is the collection from the Sultan's London residence – which is listed in UK planning documents as Grove House in Regent's Park – that is being seen as a sign of respect.
The villa was built between 1822 and 1824 for the geologist Bellas Greenough, and designed by the architect Decimus Burton, according to the National Archives.
The Grade I-listed building, which also sits along the Grand Union Canal, is believed to be the least altered of the historic villas surrounding Regent's Park, according to Neil Tomlinson Architects, which replaced the roof in 2014.
The four-acre site is among one of the largest private gardens in the city, “made up of an ornamental garden with outbuildings including stables, an annex and small garden follies”, according to the architecture practice.
It is not known when the Sultan of Oman bought Grove House. But the architectural history website London Canals says the house was sold in 1993 for £25 million – making it the most expensive property in London at the time.
Council planning documents from the time describe the home as “the official London residence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Ruler of Oman, on his visits to the capital”.
Guests at the home have included former prime minister David Cameron when he was leader of the opposition. Planning documents revealed more than a decade ago that the house was used by the visiting Omanis.
“His Majesty routinely receives guests at Grove House who, by their nature, are also heads of state, foreign dignitaries and senior representatives of the House of Windsor and the government of the United Kingdom,” a statement objecting to the installation of a public cycle stand said. The Sultan owns two homes in the capital.
Windsor Castle
King Charles and Queen Camilla will welcome the Sultan at the Royal Dais in Windsor, as a Royal Salute is fired at the Home Park in Windsor, and at the Tower of London. The royals, including Prince William and Princess Catherine, and the Sultan will travel through Windsor town to the castle in a carriage procession.
As Prince of Wales, the King visited Oman on four occasions. He travelled to Muscat to offer condolences following the death of Sultan Qaboos in January 2020. As Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Camilla accompanied the King on a two-day visit to Oman in November 2016.
In the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, a guard of honour will give a royal salute and the regimental band will play the Omani and British national anthems as the carriage procession arrives. The Sultan, accompanied by the King, will inspect the guard of honour before rejoining the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales to watch the military march-past.
The last 1982 visit took place not long after the two countries had worked as partners in a counter-insurgency that raged since 1965. The initial disturbances started in Dhofar by Marxist groups and spread across the territory.
Following lunch in the state dining room, the King and Queen will invite the Sultan to view an exhibition of items relating to Oman from the Royal Collection, in the Green Drawing Room.
There will be “enhanced security measures” around Windsor Castle during the visit, according to a Thames Valley Police spokesman.
“As a force, we have a vast amount of experience in policing royal events in Windsor and significant planning and preparation has gone into this event,” he added. “We will ensure everyone attending the state visit, including dignitaries and spectators, as well as the public, are kept safe to enjoy the occasion.”
The Sultan of Oman will meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Downing Street on Wednesday. It is believed that diplomatic meetings between the country's two foreign ministers will also take place on that day close to the King's residence in London.
Sultan Haitham was the first leader hosted at Downing Street by former prime minister Keir Starmer in August 2024, after he was elected. They met again in July of this year, just days before Mr Starmer stepped down.
Sultan Haitham will attend a banquet at Guildhall hosted by the Lady Mayor and the City of London Corporation and joined by the Duke of Gloucester.
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford will also be part of the visit, with the Sultan visiting the Here East business and culture campus to view “one of the world's most successful post-Olympic regeneration projects”.
He will also view small to medium-sized businesses focused on energy, renewables, technology, space and defence inside the workspace Plexal.
The visit comes at a crucial time for UK-Oman relations given the crisis in the Gulf and Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Oman has emerged as a vital mediator, agreeing an alternative traffic system for the Strait of Hormuz with Iran.
It has also served as a mediator for discussions with the Iran-backed Houthis at several stages of the war in Yemen.
The late Sultan Qaboos is said to have had a good relationship with Queen Elizabeth II. The late Queen first met him in Muscat in 1979, where she sailed along the Gulf on the royal yacht Britannia.
In 2010, Queen Elizabeth made a state visit to Oman, where the Sultan gave her an engraved gold vase. “My state visit to Oman in 2010 remains a cherished memory,” Queen Elizabeth said when Sultan Qaboos died in 2020. “May the long history of loyal friendship between our two countries continue.”
