Windsor: In honour of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, hosted a state banquet at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, attended by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, on the occasion of His Majesty's state visit to the United Kingdom.
Ahead of the state banquet, His Majesty the Sultan, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen shook hands with the guests invited to the dinner.
The evening's proceedings opened with an address delivered by His Majesty King Charles III, in which he said:
“Your Majesty,
Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is always a treasured moment to receive such dear and old friends on a special Visit such as this. And whilst I know just how familiar you are with these shores, Your Majesty, my wife and I take the utmost pleasure in welcoming you back to Windsor Castle this evening. And let me say,
[Welcome to a visitor of whom one never tires.]
Oman is one of Britain's oldest allies and, after all these years, I pray, one of your closest friends. And from this privileged position we recognize that a thousand years before our countrymen first met – a millennium before there was even a United Kingdom – Omani mariners were already trading across the Indian Ocean to extend Oman’s great frankincense trails, which had already stretched across Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean for a thousand years before that – and, indeed, a thousand years before that! This does, I must say, put some of our own claims to seafaring prowess into true perspective!
So, from Britain’s very first meetings with these renowned Omani merchants, our friendship grew from the sea: as maritime partners in the seventeenth century; treaty partners in the eighteenth; strategic partners in the nineteenth; brothers-in-arms in the twentieth; and today, in the twenty-first century, we are bonded by diplomacy, defence, trade and trust.
For my own part, I have been immensely fortunate – and blessed – to come to know Oman over many years and many visits, including spending precious moments, escorted from time to time by Your Majesty, I seem to remember, trying to paint the breathtaking landscape of Oman; a landscape which was well-described by the great fourteenth Century explorer Ibn Battuta as being “most striking in beauty”.
As the great Omani poet Abu Muslim al-Bahlani described so wonderfully,
[May those gardens remain ever green, their breezes fragrant with peace.]
Over these decades, I was privileged to know your distinguished predecessor and my dear friend and brother, His late Majesty Sultan Qaboos, who so successfully transformed Oman whilst preserving your ancient culture, and who pursued, with remarkable wisdom, a foreign policy founded on openness and dialogue. We, in Britain, owe so much to his inspired leadership, and I hold in great affection the memories of the many meetings I had with him ever since my first visit to your country forty-six years ago.
Within Oman, Your Majesty has strengthened the institutions of the State and started the important journey of diversifying and decarbonizing Oman’s economy through your Vision 2040. Thanks to your energetic and far-sighted leadership, this national renewal, pursued with quiet determination, has put the importance of skills and education at the very heart of your development. In doing so you have most thoughtfully placed Oman’s young people as the central driving force of your nation’s future innovation, growth and progress.
If I may, Your Majesty, I would especially like to recognize, at a time when conflict has returned so painfully to the region, Oman’s enduring commitment as a trusted interlocutor to all parties. Oman’s noble efforts in trying to keep open one of the world’s most important shipping routes have been of great service to the whole international community, and particularly to the most vulnerable of those affected.
Alongside others from the region, we stood with you in conflict over fifty years ago. This experience, and the years since, have helped us understand the depth of relationships in the region and the complexity of issues, and, through your eyes, an insight into where common ground might be found. Oman’s role across the Gulf and her “constructive neutrality”, as you put it, matters far beyond Hormuz, and is worthy of our utmost respect.
As the Prophet Muhammad said of the character of the people of Oman:
[Had you gone to the people of Oman, they would neither have insulted nor struck you.]
The unique and special relationship we share helps to make the world and our peoples safe. We are all exceptionally proud of the Loan Service Officers who serve in both our Nations, and we are deeply grateful for the hospitality offered by Oman to our Armed Forces, including that which Your Majesty’s Armed Forces Association extends to British veterans whose own contribution to Oman is so important to us all.
In your future, too, Britain is deeply invested – as you are so actively in ours.
Our connections matter deeply and, in this regard, I have been especially delighted to see our sons, The Prince of Wales and His Highness Sayyid Theyazin, become joint patrons of the Jewel of Arabia expedition. Your Majesty, there can be few happier symbols of success than a living relationship being passed from one generation to the next.
Ladies and gentlemen, the rich variety of the cultural organizations which connect our countries, are evidence that our students and sons, scientists and soldiers, investors and sailors, merchants and authors, walk in the footsteps of Bertram Thomas and Salim bin Kalut in binding together Britain and Oman as we continue to explore together the vast Empty Quarters of our modern world.
Your Majesty, neither of us can know precisely what challenges our successors will face. Despite our constant efforts, climate change will regrettably alter the lands and seas they inherit. Artificial Intelligence holds both promise and peril – unless managed with great wisdom and foresight. Competition for resources will test the international order in ways we cannot yet foresee.
But this much we do know: our successors will rely on trusted friends. They will need allies prepared to work together across difference; to defend peace and international law; to marry innovation with stewardship; and to think not merely about the next year, but about generations to come.
For centuries, Oman and Britain have done precisely that. In the Treaty we signed in 1800, our predecessors hoped that the friendship between our two states would remain "unshook till the end of time".
It was an ambitious promise but, more than two hundred years later, it has proved to be a promise fulfilled by the living connections between Britain and Oman, embodied in the generations of relationships that have forged an unshakable friendship between us.
Your Majesty, I hope this State Visit shows the importance the United Kingdom attaches to Oman, to its Monarchy and institutions, and to our friendship with you personally.
May I convey upon you the blessing written by the great Omani poet Shaykh al-Baiyaan,
[May you live in fulfilment, sustained by blessings without end from your Lord, the Giver.]”
His Majesty the Sultan then delivered an address on this occasion, in which he said:
“Your Majesty King Charles,
Your Majesty the Queen,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellencies, distinguished guests,
Allow me, first of all, to express my sincere appreciation for your gracious words and for the exceptionally warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to me and my delegation. Such gestures reflect not only your personal kindness but also the genuine spirit of friendship and generosity that we value so deeply. It is a great pleasure to be here at Windsor Castle, a place that reflects the rich history and enduring traditions of the United Kingdom.
Though separated by a great distance, Oman and Britain were brought closer centuries ago by the voyages of Omani seafarers and British ships, whose encounters across the seas helped weave the enduring bond of friendship between our two nations. Today, the ship of our friendship continues to sail on, whatever storms may come.
This longstanding relationship found formal expression in 1800, when Oman and Great Britain signed a treaty declaring that “the friendship of the two states may remain unshook till the end of time, and till the sun and the moon have finished their revolving career.” More than two hundred and twenty years have passed. The sun and the moon still revolve. And that friendship still stands, unshaken.
Although our circumstances and responsibilities may sometimes differ, mutual respect has remained the defining feature of our relationship. This distinguished feature is reflected in the joint work being carried out by both countries.
Nowhere is this partnership stronger than in the military sphere. Omani and British forces have served side by side for generations: training together, standing guard together, and learning from one another. Our officers have studied in Britain's finest military academies, and British officers have served in Oman. This exchange of knowledge and experience has built a bond of readiness and trust that no treaty alone could create. It is a living relationship, tested, proven, and enduring.
The same spirit lives in the classrooms and campuses. Every year, young Omanis join Britain’s finest educational institutions to pursue studies across a wide range of disciplines. They learn from your scholars, they walk your historic streets, and they come to know the British people, not as a distant ally, but as a friend. They are building our nation, and they are building a bridge between the people of both countries that grows stronger with every generation.
I have personally had the benefit of this, and I remain grateful. As a young man, I became familiar with that punctual national habit well known as English time.
At the same time, The British Council, the growing number of English-language schools, and the prospect of establishing more British educational institutions in Oman will further strengthen these ties. Such cultural exchange is enriched also by British tourists who come to discover Oman's charm, its rich history and its vibrant culture. I am confident that future generations can experience this relationship as a living connection between our peoples.
That brings me to the welcome news that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has graciously agreed to join His Highness Sayyid Theyazin to serve as Patrons of the British Omani Society.
Beyond military and education cooperation, trade remains an important bridge between our two nations. Britain has long been among Oman's largest trading partners and indeed the single largest contributor to foreign direct investment.
Your Majesty, in a region that has known too much conflict, Oman has chosen a different path, an independent path; we take positions for dialogue, for understanding and for peace. A wise nation chooses to listen. Oman has chosen to listen. And in that listening, we have found a strength that armies cannot provide. We seek solutions. We believe in diplomacy, in dialogue, and in the patient work of bringing nations together. This is our heritage. Britain has been a friend on this path, and has stood beside us in this duty, not with armies, but with wisdom.
Your Majesty, Your commitment to young people, environmental protection, and interfaith dialogue reflects a profound sense of responsibility towards society and future generations. These are the values we in Oman have long held dear, and principles that continue to guide our approach to leadership and our engagement with the world.
Let me conclude with a prayer: may God bless Your Majesty with health and long life, and preserve the friendship between our two nations, a friendship that, like the shining sun and glowing moon, shall never finish its revolving career.
To the health and long life of His Majesty the King.”
The dinner was attended by the official delegation accompanying His Majesty the Sultan, members of the British Royal Family and senior officials.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
