The Queen will miss a ceremonial welcome during an upcoming Qatari state visit due to side effects from a chest infection, Buckingham Palace has said.
Queen Camilla is still set to attend other elements of the day, where she will join the Prince and Princess of Wales and King Charles at a private lunch with the Emir of Qatar.
She withdrew from engagements in early November after becoming unwell with the chest infection, with doctors advising a period of rest. The Queen returned to duties in mid November, but missed the Royal Variety Performance due to lingering symptoms.
After lunch, visiting heads of state traditionally view a small exhibition of items associated with their country’s relationship with the UK.
Princess Kate, who is gradually returning to royal duties after cancer treatments, will be among the royal party joining the Emir and his wife in the palace’s picture gallery for the event.
Kate will not attend the state banquet hosted by the King in the palace’s ballroom that evening, although William will be a guest.
The Prince of Wales will also host the Emir at his official London home Kensington Palace. Sheikh Tamim, 44, was educated in Britain, attending public schools Sherborne and Harrow, before graduating from Sandhurst military academy.
He set up Qatar Sports Investments in 2005, which owns the French football team Paris Saint-Germain.
On Wednesday, the final day of the two-day visit, the Emir will visit Sandhurst before travelling to Buckingham Palace to bid farewell formally to the King and Queen. Sheikh Tamim meet Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street for bilateral talks.
Qatar, one of the richest Gulf states, is a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war, and there are reports the Government is hoping to seal a free-trade deal with the Gulf Co-operation Council.
But the country has faced criticism over its human rights record, in particular its criminalisation of same-sex relationships.
In 2022, Charles, as 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 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.
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