Pomp and pageantry for Emir of Qatar's two-day UK state visit

Sheikh Tamim, accompanied by King Charles, inspected a guard of honour before a banquet in his honour

Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim, marked the start of a two-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday, which included a state banquet in Buckingham Palace after a day of pageantry.

In the morning, King Charles III greeted the Emir with a handshake at Horse Guards Parade, where the Qatari national anthem was played and a royal salute took place.

The ceremony was also attended by Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, who escorted Sheikh Tamim and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher, to the ceremonial parade ground near Buckingham Palace. The princess, who was wearing jewellery that belonged to the late queen, recently returned to royal duties after completing treatment for cancer.

Sheikh Tamim, accompanied by the king, inspected a guard of honour formed by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards before he travelled in a carriage with other royal family members along The Mall, which was lined with UK and Qatari flags, to Buckingham Palace, for a second guard of honour before lunch. Afterwards, Sheikh Tamim and Sheikha Jawaher will be taken on a tour to see Qatari artefacts in the palace gallery.

During an address to Parliament, attended by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and scores of parliamentarians, the Qatari leader spoke of his country's efforts to halt the violence in Gaza.

Despite succeeding in securing the release of 109 hostages and 250 Palestinian detainees, the situation was dire with the "weaponising of access to food and medicine" and a failure to stop the violence. "The Gaza Strip has been subject to near total destruction," he said.

The emir invoked the Victorian writer Jane Austen to call for a "tenderness of heart" in redoubling efforts to end the war.

Strategic investments

Qatar is set to confirm on Wednesday an initial commitment of £1 billion to a “clean-energy partnership” between the two states.

The deal includes investment in technology programmes operated by Rolls-Royce, as well as start-ups in the UK and Qatar focused on energy efficiency, carbon management and green power.

“I am proud that Qatar has chosen to base this global partnership here in the UK and I am delighted that the project is getting off the ground with this initial £1 billion commitment,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to say when he formally meets Sheikh Tamim in Downing St.

The partnership was originally announced in 2021 on the sidelines of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow and is expected to lead to the creation of “climate technology hubs” across the UK and Qatar.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described Wednesday’s announcement as “a huge vote of confidence in the UK” that would “help create thousands of highly skilled jobs”.

King Charles arrived at the Grand Entrance in the Irish State Coach with Sheikh Tamim and Sheikha Jawaher to the sound of the Qatari and British national anthems. The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, in the second carriage, the Australian State Coach.

Inside Buckingham Palace, the king and queen introduced the emir and his wife to members of the royal household who had gathered to wait in a receiving line. The king and emir walked together, followed by Camilla and Sheikha Jawaher.

On Wednesday, Sheikh Tamim will also visit the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before travelling to the palace to bid farewell formally to the king and queen.

The trip, the first incoming state visit since Mr Starmer’s Labour Party took power in July, comes as the UK seeks a trade agreement with the Gulf Co-operation Council, of which Qatar is a member.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told The National the emir’s visit would involve discussions to promote stability in the region as well as the countries’ economic ties. The UK’s Business and Trade Department estimates a free trade deal with the GCC could boost the UK economy by £1.6 billion ($2.12 billion).

The Gulf nation has several investments in Britain, with the state's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, owning stakes in Barclays, Sainsbury's and Canary Wharf, among others.

King Charles and Sheikh Tamim, who visited Britain eight times between 2014 and 2023, most recently met at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai last December.

The Qatari leader was educated in Britain, where he attended private schools before graduating from Sandhurst. He and Sheikha Jawaher attended King Charles's coronation in May 2023 and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September of the previous year.