King praises Strait of Hormuz peace efforts at glittering banquet
The US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran in February, killing the country’s supreme leader and sparking the ongoing Iran war.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, has been effectively closed since then.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine and Princess Anne were among the royals on duty at Windsor for the state visit.
It was the first state banquet for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was seated next to the Omani academic and novelist, Jokha Alharthi.
It was a table laden with elaborate candelabra and polished decorations, with five glasses per setting, and even the surface of the salt had an imprint of the cypher of King Charles.
The hot summer meant a bumper crop of pomegranates in the Windsor Castle gardens, and the fruits were placed on the table alongside the floral decorations.
The King’s speech, delivered to 160 guests in English with some quotes in Arabic, expressed his approval that his son Prince William had worked on an expedition project alongside the Sultan’s son.
“There can be few happier symbols of success than a living relationship being passed from one generation to the next,” said the King.
