The Princess Wears Norma Kamali and Alexander McQueen for Oman State Visit

The Princess of Wales chose a mix of new items and previously worn styles for today’s ceremonies welcoming the Sultan of Oman for a state visit to the UK.

The Prince of Wales greeted the Sultan at his home in Regent’s Park this morning. We learn more from this piece in The Times of London. 

Prince William greeted Haitham bin Tariq al-Said — a former businessman who was educated at Oxford — at the Omani ruler’s residence in London on behalf of the King.

They then travelled to Windsor, where the sultan received a ceremonial welcome.

The King and Queen are well acquainted with the sultan, who welcomed them on a state visit to Oman in 2016.

The Prince and His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik then traveled to Windsor Castle, where the King, Queen, and Princess of Wales awaited them.

And then officially greeted them.

In this video posted by Christin, you will see the Princess curtsy to the Sultan. 

A lovely curtsy from the Princess of Wales, who I think asked Prince William “You’re ok?“ ☺️

🎥 Sky https://t.co/9wLqFk3vu6

— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) October 20, 2026

Another view of the Prince and Princess. 

After the formal greetings, they played the national anthems.

This is the first state visit to the United Kingdom by an Omani monarch in 44 years.

A wide shot showing the dignitaries.

The King and Sultan inspect the troops. 

The Daily Mail has more on today’s welcome. 

In a change to the traditional arrangements, Kate did not accompany William to the Sultan’s private residence. The planned adjustment was made because the Sultan is not being accompanied by his wife during his stay.

The Sultan joined the King in the Irish State Coach for a horse-drawn carriage procession through the streets of Windsor to the castle, ready to attend the ceremonial welcome in the quadrangle.

The Queen followed in the second carriage – the Scottish State Coach – accompanied by Oman’s deputy prime minister for defence affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were in the third carriage – the Australian State Coach – with the deputy prime minister for economic affairs Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said and secretary general of the diwan of the royal court Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib Al Said.

The Princess in the Australian State Coach. 

Following lunch in Windsor Castle’s state dining room, everyone moved to the green drawing room to view a special Royal Collection exhibit showcasing items related to Oman.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with members of the Omani delegation.

The Princess of Wales and the Sultan view items in the exhibition. In the background, the Duke of Gloucester is visible.

The Queen wore a red wool crepe coat and dress by Fiona Clare, a hat by Philip Treacy, and a Cartier Floral brooch that originally belonged to the Queen Mother. The two nicely echoed Oman’s national colors, red and green. For details on today’s jewelry, The Court Jeweler has a post here.

Now for our look at what Kate wore. 

Many immediately recognized the green Alexander McQueen coat. We first saw the coat during the Boston trip in November 2022 (left). In the center photo, the Princess wearing it for St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards in 2025. On the right, the Princess wears the same design in blue on Christmas Day 2023.   

Beneath the coat, the Princess wore a lace blouse or scarf of some type.

The Princess then changed into a dress by US designer Norma Kamali for the luncheon and exhibition viewing. The designer’s Belted Pleated Midi Dress ($344) is a turtleneck style in a polyester/elastane blend, with a pleated skirt, removable shoulder pads, slit-cuff sleeves, a concealed back zipper, and a detachable belt.

This better shows the details. The dress is available in a mix of sizes at Beyond Style ($345), and in limited sizes at My Theresa (£295, about $390 at today’s exchange rates).

Norma Kamali has been in business for more than 55 years, with her headquarters in New York. We learn more about her from this CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) bio. 

Norma Kamali began her business in 1967 as a shop owner making styles in her sample room, and selling from her retail store. Her goal from that first day as an entrepreneur up until today was to have the freedom to be creative, and to use that creativity to design styles for women to make them feel good.

The Wellness Café, the products in the Cafe, as well as the information and guidance Norma provides her followers is another aspect of her connection to women. By informing women on topics that relate to self-esteem, and body image, she feels their confidence can develop. A healthy body translates to a healthy mind and spirit. This is an empowered woman.

The Princess wore a bespoke hat by Juliette Botterill Millinery. It resembles the designer’s Bow Loop Teardrop Hat in felt, embellished with a sculptural looped silk abaca bow, and worn on a slim headband with hat elastic, “available in your choice of hair colour for a secure and comfortable fit.” Thank you to Carly at Kate Middleton Style for this tip.

Today’s handbag is a bit of a puzzler. In some photos, it looks like the Princess’s black Chanel Mini Flap Bag in black lambskin, but in other light, it almost looks green. At this point, I’m leaning toward it being the black style. 

We saw the return of the Manolo Blahnik BB Green Velvet Pumps, first noted at a Palace of Holyroodhouse movie screening in 2021. 

The Princess also debuted a new pair of earrings today: Cassandra Goad’s Acai Earring Drops ($5407) in yellow gold with chrome diopside stones, sometimes called Russian emeralds. The earrings are part of the brand’s interchangeable earring collection. Thank you to Lauren for this ID. The Princess also wore the Prince of Wales Feather Brooch, featuring the distinctive emerald cabochon suspended from

We turn to this Telegraph piece by senior fashion editor Tamara Abraham for more on the brooch. 

The pièce de résistance was her Prince of Wales feathers diamond and emerald brooch – a piece which has been worn by others who have held the title of Princess of Wales since 1863. Originally it was given to Princess Alexandra of Denmark from the “Ladies of North Wales” when she married the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). It does more than coordinate; it exhibits her status as the wife of the next in line to the throne.

Later tonight, the King and Queen will host a state banquet at Windsor Castle. I will be back with coverage of that later today. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: I apologize for the site issues. It went down on Saturday the 10th, and repairs were slow because my husband handles all the WKW tech elements, and he recently had major surgery. While most of the issues have been corrected, it looks like we have permanently lost a year’s worth of coverage. At some point, I will attempt to go back and at least do skeleton posts covering major events and significant holidays. We still don’t nkow what caused the problem, but have been told we were not hacked. 

Tonight’s coverage of the state dinner is here. 

VIDEOS:

ITN’s Royal Family Channel has more than eight minutes of coverage of the exhibit viewing. 

 
The Royal Family Channel also has coverage of the welcome ceremony.