His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik ceremonially welcomed to the UK by more than 800 service personnel
Ceremony included a 41-Gun Royal Salute, a mounted Guard of Honour and an escort of cavalry, musicians and horses
The occasion celebrated more than 200 years of UK-Oman friendship and a defence partnership built on joint exercises, including training in Oman, the Army's largest overseas training area
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery salute the Royal guests at Windsor Castle.
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman, alongside His Majesty King Charles III, inspects the Guard of Honour
F Company Scots Guards and Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards formed the Guard of Honour for the visit
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman and His Majesty King Charles III, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, depart Windsor Castle following the parade
More than 800 service personnel from across the Armed Forces, welcomed His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to Windsor as the State Visit of Oman to the United Kingdom began.
The visit, hosted by Their Majesties The King and The Queen at Windsor Castle, celebrated more than 200 years of friendship between the UK and Oman and reflected a defence partnership that remains as important as ever.
Behind the pageantry lay a relationship built on decades of military cooperation. Oman hosts the British Army's largest overseas training area, where major exercises such as Exercise Khanjar Oman bring British and Omani soldiers together to sharpen skills and strengthen joint working in demanding desert conditions.
The ceremonial welcome began with impeccable timing. At the exact moment Sultan Haitham stepped onto the Royal Pavilion on Datchet Road, The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-Gun Royal Salute from Home Park, Windsor, while the Honourable Artillery Company fired a matching salute from the Tower of London. The thunder of 82 guns signalled the start of a visit combining diplomacy, defence and centuries-old military tradition.
The Sultan joined The King and The Queen for a ceremonial carriage procession through Windsor's flag-lined streets, escorted by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
Awaiting the Sultan in Windsor Castle's Quadrangle was a Guard of Honour formed by Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards and F Company Scots Guards, among the British Army's oldest regiments. The Guards presented their State Colours before the Sultan, accompanied by The King, inspected the troops. Soldiers from The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the Guard of Honour then marched past in a display of military excellence.
More than 800 serving members of the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force supported the visit, alongside 120 military working horses. The event showcased the precision, professionalism and ceremonial expertise for which our troops are renowned around the world.
As evening fell, the first day of the State Visit continued with a State Banquet in St George's Hall, supported by soldiers of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, musicians from the Royal Corps of Army Music and pipers from 1st Battalion Scots Guards. On Wednesday evening a further Guard of Honour by the Honourable Artillery Company and Band was staged for the Sultan's inspection at the Guildhall, ahead of a State Banquet hosted by the Lord Mayor of London.
For many soldiers on parade, it felt personal: they had honed their operational skills on exercises in Oman. For the Army, the occasion represented more than ceremonial excellence. It celebrated a long-standing friendship and a defence partnership that continues to strengthen regional security and stability in an increasingly complex world.
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