The Princess of Wales changed outfits between engagements during the first day of the Sultan of Oman’s state visit to the UK, joining King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William at Windsor Castle.
Kate initially wore an emerald Alexander McQueen coat with a matching fascinator before changing into a £260 Norma Kamali midi dress for a later engagement at the castle.
Her appearance came on the same day Prince Harry spoke publicly about his desire to repair his strained relationships with his father and older brother, saying he wanted reconciliation despite suggestions that others might not share his wishes.
Kate Welcomes Omani Ruler in Emerald Green Ensemble
The Princess of Wales joined senior members of the Royal Family on Tuesday to welcome Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said to Windsor Castle at the beginning of his three-day state visit to Britain.
For the formal welcome, Kate wore a dark green Alexander McQueen coat dress, which she had worn previously, alongside a matching Juliette Botterill fascinator.
Her choice of green appeared to reference the Omani flag.
She completed the outfit with a black quilted Chanel bag, Manolo Blahnik pumps and Cassandra Goad earrings valued at £3,830.
Kate also wore a historic diamond and emerald brooch that once belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
King Charles gifted the heirloom to her in 2022 in recognition of the women who have held the title of Princess of Wales.
During the welcome ceremony, Kate smiled and gave a deep curtsey before shaking hands with Sultan Haitham.
Princess Changes Into £260 Norma Kamali Dress
Kate later changed her appearance for a viewing of items from the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle’s Green Drawing Room.
The princess replaced her emerald coat with a £260 Norma Kamali midi dress in a similar deep green shade.
She also removed her fascinator, allowing her bronde hair to fall in loose waves around her shoulders.
For the earlier engagement, Kate had paired her coat with a black lace blouse and emerald accessories.
The change of outfit came as the royal party examined an exhibition highlighting the historical relationship between Britain and Oman.
Diana’s Historic Emerald and Diamond Brooch
The brooch worn by Kate has a history spanning more than 160 years and has passed through several generations of the Royal Family.
It was presented to Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 by the Ladies of Bristol as a wedding gift when she married Bertie, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII.
Following Alexandra’s death, the jewel reportedly passed to Queen Mary and subsequently to the Queen Mother. Diana received it upon her marriage to Charles in 1981.
The piece features a teardrop-shaped cabochon emerald suspended beneath an oval arrangement of diamonds.
Inside the design is the Prince of Wales’s three-feather insignia, accompanied by a coronet and a banner bearing the words Ich Dien, meaning “I serve”.
Diana had the jewel adapted into a necklace and wore it with matching emerald earrings at a gala event in Vienna in 1986, during a state visit to Austria with Charles.
After her death in 1997, the brooch returned to the monarch, as it was considered Crown property. Charles later gave it to Kate in 2022.
Harry Says He Wants to Repair Relationships With Charles and William
The Princess of Wales’s engagements coincided with the release of an interview in which Prince Harry spoke about his hopes of reconciling with his family.
Speaking to GQ for its One More Question interview series, the Duke of Sussex said he was grieving his complicated relationships with the King and Prince William.
Asked whether he wanted to heal the rift with his father and brother, Harry replied: “Of course I do. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.”
He added: “Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out.”
The comments prompted speculation that Harry was referring to William, with whom he has reportedly not spoken for four years.
However, a spokesman for the Sussexes subsequently rejected the suggestion that the remarks were directed at the Prince of Wales or another member of the family.
“It was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family,” the spokesman said.
“The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way.”
The interview was recorded in late September and released on Tuesday.
Duke of Sussex Reflects on Family Rift
Harry also discussed the possibility of repairing the damage to his family relationships, acknowledging that the effects of past events could remain even when people tried to move forward.
Asked whether he believed the family wound could be repaired, he said: “Yeah of course, I think every wound… look, scars stick around forever.”
He continued by discussing the importance of changing one’s perspective and letting go of the past.
“If there’s certain things from the past that’s still affecting your everyday, that’s harder to let go of,” he said.
Harry added that he believed there was already enough drama in the world and in people’s lives without continuing disputes within families.
When the interviewer suggested that such disagreements were not worth maintaining, Harry replied that it was difficult to make that argument to people while they were experiencing the situation themselves.
The duke remains on speaking terms with his father but has not seen him since returning to Britain, according to the report.
King Charles and Prince William Welcome Sultan Haitham
Earlier in the day, Prince William met Sultan Haitham at one of the Omani ruler’s private residences in London before accompanying him to Windsor.
Kate did not attend the initial meeting, a departure from the usual arrangements.
The adjustment was planned because the Sultan was travelling without his wife.
The King, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales subsequently welcomed the Sultan in Windsor town centre before the party travelled to the castle in a procession of horse-drawn carriages.
Charles wore a top hat and morning dress, while Camilla chose a red wool crepe dress and coat by Fiona Clare, a Philip Treacy hat and a ruby and diamond flower brooch.
Her red outfit also appeared to reference the Omani flag.
Following the formal greetings, the King and Sultan travelled together in the Irish State Coach.
Camilla followed in the Scottish State Coach with Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said.
William and Kate travelled in the Australian State Coach alongside Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, and the Secretary General of the Diwan of the Royal Court, Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib Al Said.
The procession passed along Thames Street, High Street and Park Street before entering Windsor Castle through the George IV Gateway.
A royal salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from nearby Home Park to mark the occasion.
Royal Party Views Exhibition Celebrating UK-Oman Relations
After arriving at the castle, the King invited the Sultan to inspect a Guard of Honour before the group attended a private lunch.
The royal party later visited the Green Drawing Room, where historical objects from the Royal Collection had been assembled to illustrate the longstanding relationship between Britain and Oman.
Among those attending were the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Charles showed the Sultan two watercolour landscape paintings he had produced during a trip to Oman in 1995.
They were the first examples of his own artwork to be displayed publicly since he became King.
“These are two of my paintings,” Charles told the Sultan.
The Omani ruler responded: “Good.”
When Kate reached the paintings, she told the other guests that they were the King’s work and described him as a very good watercolourist.
Other items on display included Abraham Parsons’s 1775 account of his travels to Muscat, a tiara presented by Oman to Queen Victoria for her coronation in 1838, and a gold medallion of Queen Elizabeth I dating from 1647, which was given during the 1982 state visit.
State Banquet to Be Held at Windsor Castle
The state visit is the first by an Omani ruler to Britain in 44 years.
The previous visit was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1982.
Charles and the Sultan were scheduled to deliver speeches at a state banquet at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening, attended by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
The banquet was expected to feature formal royal attire, including gowns and tiaras worn by the women attending.
Sultan Haitham became ruler of Oman in 2020 following the death of his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
He is the fifteenth ruler of the Al Bu Said dynasty, which has governed the country since the mid-eighteenth century.
The Sultan is married and has four children, although his wife is not accompanying him on the visit.
Oman has maintained longstanding relations with the British Royal Family, and Sultan Haitham has met Charles and Camilla on several previous occasions.
The country is regarded as one of Britain’s oldest allies in the Arabian Peninsula.
One of the Sultan’s principal challenges is overseeing Oman’s efforts to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues.
