Australian twist to Prince William and Kate’s appearance alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla for Omani state visit

The Prince and Princess of Wales have once again stepped up to take part in a state visit, alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla.

This time, the royals were rolling out the red carpet for the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Prince William went solo to meet the Sultan at his London residence, on behalf of the King, and accompanied the Omani head of state to Windsor.

During the formal welcome at the Royal Dias, the Princess of Wales was spotted giving a deep curtsy to the foreign royal in a show of respect.

The group then took part in the carriage procession to Windsor Castle, with Prince William and Kate riding in the Australian State Coach.

The windows of the carriage steamed up a little in the wet weather as they travelled through Windsor together with the Omani deputy prime minister for economic affairs and the Omani secretary general of the diwan of the royal court.

Sydney master craftsman Jim Frecklington – known as the world’s last royal carriage maker – built the horse-drawn coach in 1988 as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II from the people of Australia for the bicentenary.

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It quickly became a favourite of Her Majesty’s thanks to modern amenities, like heating and hydraulic stabilisation, that Frecklington incorporated into his design.

King Charles and the sultan travelled together in the Irish State Coach, while Queen Camilla and the Omani deputy prime minister for defence affairs followed in the Scottish State Coach.

The Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla both opted for some diplomatic dressing, with both choosing colours from the Omani flag for their ensembles.

Kate opted for a forest green Alexander McQueen coat dress, which she previously wore for St Patrick’s Day festivities last year and a 2022 visit to Boston.

This time, the royal added a black lace top underneath, which matched her quilted black Chanel handbag, and a new custom-dyed Juliette Botterill hat.

The Princess of Wales added emerald jewellery, such as a new pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings by one of her favourite designers, Cassandra Goad, which are inspired by açai berries.

This was paired with an heirloom brooch with plenty of royal history and significance, the Prince of Wales feathers brooch.

It was previously gifted to Princess Diana and is exclusively reserved for the wife of the Prince of Wales.

Queen Camilla chose a cherry red wool crêpe coat and dress by her go-to designer, Fiona Clare, along with a large matching Philip Treacy hat, as well as a Cartier ruby and diamond floral clip brooch, which previously belonged to the Queen Mother.

The rain did nothing to dampen the pomp and pageantry that comes during a state visit, with royal salutes fired both at Windsor and at the Tower of London to welcome the 71-year-old sultan.

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The quadrangle filled with officers for the ceremonial welcome, forming a guard of honour before Their Majesties inspected the troops before the march past.

The contingent then enjoyed lunch inside the state dining room before viewing items in the royal collection in the green drawing room during the afternoon.

In the evening (Wednesday morning AEDT) there will be a glittering state banquet held in honour of the Omani guests, with tiaras and sashes expected to overtake Windsor Castle.