King will put the ‘distraction’ of Prince Harry’s latest interview behind him as he, Prince William and Princess Kate host Omani royals at glittering state banquet

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By REBECCA ENGLISH, ROYAL EDITOR and KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER 19:07 20 Oct 2026, updated 19:26 20 Oct 2026

King Charles plans to put the ‘distraction’ of Prince Harry’s latest interview behind him as he will lead a glittering turnout of working royals at tonight’s state banquet.

The monarch will be accompanied by Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as they host the Sultan of Oman and his retinue in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle.

One hundred and sixty guests have been invited to dine on Scottish langoustine and Cornish crab, pot roasted Windsor pheasant and stuffed cabbage, individual baked Alaskas with Balmoral Plum and Windsor Estate honey ice cream.

The feast will be washed down with a variety of wines, although Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said will toast with a soft drink, as will others in his entourage.

It will come hours after the King’s youngest son Harry insisted he wants to reconcile with his family, while denying he was taking a ‘swipe’ at his brother William when declaring: ‘Some people don’t want it to work out.’

The Duke of Sussex, who has not spoken to William for four years, admitted in an interview with GQ that he is grieving his ‘complicated relationships’ with the King and the Prince of Wales.

Tonight’s 50 metre long table, which runs the whole length of the room, has been laid with 480 knives, 480 forks, 160 spoons and the Grand Service, commissioned by George IV, which runs to more than 4,000 silver-gilt pieces.

In a touching tribute, the centre 12-light St George and the dragon candelabra, commissioned by William IV in 1833, was decorated with pomegranates grown on a tree planted by the late Duke of Edinburgh around 50 years ago on the East Terrace.

The unseasonably warm summer has caused it to fruit so staff decided to use them as decorations, although they will not be consumed afterwards as they are inedible.

For the first time the salt on the table has been imprinted with the King’s royal cypher.

Among the guests are athlete Mazoon Al Alawi and sailor Mohsin Al Busaidi. It is also Andy Burnham’s first state banquet as Prime Minister.

It will come after Charles rolled out a rather soggy red carpet earlier today as senior royals welcomed the Sultan – described as one of the world’s ‘most discreet billionaires’ – to the castle for his State Visit.

Tonight, the King is set to serve up a cocktail inspired by the Omani ritual of ‘Kahwa’, or hospitality.

The post-state banquet drink is based on a spiced coffee traditionally shared in Oman, with dates as a gesture of friendship, and has been ‘reimagined’ by the team at Windsor Castle.

The beverage has been adapted through a ‘distinctly British lens’, drawing on the nation’s long-standing love of tea while preserving the aromatic spices and flavours that make Kahwa so distinctive: fragrant cardamom, delicate rose, sweet dates, and gentle warming spices.

These notes have been woven together with British teas and Windsor honey for a non-alcoholic treat.

Guests will be invited to choose from an Iced Earl Grey & Date, an Iced Mint & Rose, or a Warm Cardamom-Spiced Blend sweetened with Windsor Honey.

Tonight’s flower selection will include handpicked seasonal flowers from the gardens at Buckingham Palace.

During Harry’s interview today, the Duke was asked directly whether he really wanted to heal the rift with his brother and father. 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.’

But in remarks widely interpreted as a dig at William, he added: ‘Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out.’

Hours after the interview was published, a Sussex spokesman insisted the remark was not aimed at his older brother as speculation mounted over who Harry was referring to.

He said: ‘It was absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family.

‘The comment was made in a general context and was not directed at his family in any way.’

READ MORE: Kate beams in green as she joins William, Charles and Camilla in hosting the Sultan of Oman on State Visit to the UK

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