King to host Emir of Qatar at Buckingham Palace for incoming state visit

The Emir of Qatar is to pay a state visit to the UK hosted by the King, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Charles and the Queen will welcome Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, to London on December 3.

They can expect to be feted with a traditional ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade and a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace during the two-day incoming state visit.

Charles has visited Qatar eight times as the Prince of Wales and met the Emir at the Cop28 summit in Dubai in December.

The Qatari leader and Sheikha Jawaher also attended the King’s coronation in Westminster Abbey, and the late Queen’s funeral.

Qatar – one of the richest Gulf states – is a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war and the ruling Emir is likely to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for talks at Downing Street during his stay.

But the country has faced criticism over its human rights record, in particular the abuse of migrant workers during Fifa World Cup in 2022, its criminalisation of same-sex relationships, and its discrimination against women.

The Qatari royal family is one of the richest in the world, with a reported fortune running into the billions.

Sheikh Tamim, 44, was educated in Britain, attending public schools Sherborne and Harrow, before graduating from the Sandhurst military academy.

He set up Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in 2005, which owns the French football team Paris Saint-Germain.

In 2022, Charles as the Prince of Wales faced criticism after being presented with cash – reportedly totalling three million euros and some of it in a suitcase – from a former Qatari prime minister between 2011 and 2015.

The Sunday Times said the then-heir to the throne personally accepted the donations for his charity the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim – who was prime minister of Qatar between 2007 and 2013.

A royal source said in 2022 the prince operated on advice and such incidents have not happened in the past half decade and would not happen again.