Kate Debuts Two Glamorous Looks During Oman State Visit

The Princess of Wales made a swift wardrobe change between engagements on the opening day of the Sultan of Oman’s state visit.

On both occasions, Kate demonstrated the art of diplomatic dressing as she joined the King, Queen and Prince of Wales to welcome the Omani ruler to Windsor Castle.

For the first engagement, Prince William’s wife revived an elegant emerald Alexander McQueen coat, pairing it with a matching Juliette Botterill fascinator in an apparent reference to Oman’s national flag.

Kate, who is well versed in using fashion to convey diplomatic messages, also chose a deeply personal jewel to honour her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.

Pinned to her coat was a 160-year-old diamond and emerald brooch once worn by the ‘People’s Princess’. King Charles gifted the historic piece to Kate in 2022.

She completed the look with a black quilted Chanel bag, Gianvito Rossi pumps and gold earrings.

By the time she attended an exhibition in the Castle’s Green Room, however, the future Queen had transformed her appearance.

Kate wore her bronde hair loose and replaced the black lace blouse with a £260 Norma Kamali midi dress in a rich green shade that echoed her Alexander McQueen coat.

The brooch was originally presented to Princess Alexandra of Denmark as a wedding gift in 1863. The Ladies of Bristol gave it to her when she married Bertie, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII.

After Alexandra’s death, the jewel was reportedly passed to her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, and then to the Queen Mother. She later gave it to Diana when she married Charles in 1981.

The heirloom features a cabochon teardrop emerald pendant suspended from an oval diamond setting, with the Prince of Wales’s three-feather insignia at its centre.

Beneath the diamond-studded coronet is a banner inscribed with the words “Ich Dien”, meaning “I serve”.

Diana had the brooch converted into a necklace and wore it with matching emerald earrings at a glittering gala in 1986.

She chose the striking jewel for an evening at Vienna’s Burgtheater during a state visit to Austria with Charles.

Following Diana’s death in 1997, the brooch is understood to have returned to the Queen because it is regarded as property of the monarch.

King Charles presented it to Kate in 2022, honouring the women who previously held the title of Princess of Wales, including Diana.

The Prince and Princess of Wales joined the King and Queen to welcome the Omani ruler for a three-day official visit requested by the British government. The programme focuses on trade, diplomacy, military cooperation and cultural ties.

Earlier, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik was greeted by Prince William on behalf of the monarch at one of his private UK residences before travelling with him to Windsor.

Meanwhile, the King and Queen, accompanied by Kate, arrived separately from Windsor Castle to formally welcome the Sultan at the Royal Dais on Datchet Road.

In a change to the traditional arrangements, the Princess of Wales did not accompany William to greet the Sultan, but instead waited alongside the King and Queen.

The planned adjustment was made because the Sultan is not being accompanied by his wife during his stay. 

The King was dressed in top hat and tails, while Camilla wore a red wool crepe dress and coat by Fiona Clare, hat by Philip Treacy and a ruby and diamond flower brooch – with the colour seemingly a nod to the Omani flag, as was Kate’s dark green coat dress.

The King took off his top hat to greet the Sultan, giving him a wide smile as he shook his hand following the Omani ruler’s arrival.

Kate smiled and gave a deep curtsey as she also shook Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said’s hand in the royal line-up.

A royal salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn of nearby Home Park to mark the occasion.

The Sultan later joined the King and Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, in a carriage procession through Windsor town to Windsor Castle.

The King and the Sultan travelled in the Irish State Coach, with the Queen and H.H. Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, behind in the Scottish State Coach.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were together in the Australian State Coach along with H.H. Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and H.H. Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib Al Said, Secretary General of the Diwan of the Royal Court.

Following a private lunch in the State Dining Room, joined by Members of the Royal Family, Their Majesties will invite the Sultan to view a special exhibition of items relating to Oman from the Royal Collection, in the Green Drawing Room.

In the evening, His Majesty, accompanied by the Queen and Members of the Royal Family, will host a glittering State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the Sultan – the highlight of which will undoubtedly be the ladies’ gowns and tiaras.

The King and His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik will deliver speeches at the beginning of the banquet.

The present Sultan acceded to the throne in 2020 following the death of his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, becoming the fifteenth ruler of the Al Bu Said dynasty which has ruled Oman since the mid-eighteenth century.

He has also been dubbed ‘one of the most discreet billionaires alive’.

The sultan is married with four children, although his wife is not accompanying him on this State Visit.

The ruling Omani family has enjoyed good relations with the British royal family and the Sultan has met the King and Queen on several occasions previously. Oman is considered one of Britain’s oldest friends in Arabia.

One of the Sultan’s main challenges is seen to be the need to oversee Oman’s transition from over-reliance on oil revenues to a diversified economy.