The Sultan of Oman’s official tour has brought him to Spain, where Haitham Bin Tarik began a solo State Visit that will last until Wednesday, November 5. His first day ended in style with a glittering gala dinner at Madrid’s Royal Palace, hosted by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, a night that brought back the kind of royal glamour the capital hadn’t seen in years.
After a full day of ceremonies, the King and Queen welcomed the Sultan in the Teniers Hall. He wore the Grand Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, recently awarded to him, and was accompanied by a large delegation of senior officials and dignitaries, including his brother, the Deputy Prime Minister.
The evening also gathered Spain’s leading political, business, and cultural figures in the Throne Room. The Sultan’s trip was originally planned for May, but was cancelled just hours before his flight due to the death of his mother-in-law, Lady Al-Jalila.
It was rescheduled for this autumn. On that earlier visit, his wife, Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah, the first Omani royal consort to take on a public role, had been expected to join him, but this time the meeting between her and Queen Letizia could not take place.
Queen Letizia turned heads in a deep blue gown by The 2nd Skin Co., with bow-detailed sleeves, a design she first wore in 2024 for a royal dinner in Amsterdam.
She paired the dress with diamond drop earrings and the Russian Tiara, one of the most striking pieces in the royal collection. The tiara originally belonged to Queen Maria Christina of Habsburg-Lorraine and has since passed through generations of Spanish royals, eventually reaching Queen Sofía, who debuted it in Norway in 2006.
The gala took place in the Royal Palace’s Grand Dining Hall, the largest in Western Europe. The magnificent room was originally created for the wedding of King Alfonso XII and Queen Maria Christina of Austria. Lit by grand bronze chandeliers, it can seat more than 140 guests.
The King and Queen, seated opposite one another in slightly elevated chairs, presided over the dinner surrounded by tapestries, 18th-century Chinese vases, and 19th-century French porcelain.
King Felipe opened the evening with a warm speech, welcoming the Sultan on this “long-awaited visit.” He expressed his “admiration and gratitude” and praised the Sultan’s “responsible leadership” that has given Oman “a new horizon.”
He also called for “restraint, the silencing of weapons, and respect for peace agreements” in the Middle East. The Sultan, for his part, highlighted the friendship between Oman and Spain, built “on decades of cultural exchange and mutual respect.”
The Royal Guard Symphony Band performed both national anthems and classic Spanish pieces such as 'Suspiros de España,' 'La Gran Vía,' and 'Mediterráneo.'
At the end of the evening, the band’s director presented the Sultan with a recording of the music as a keepsake. Guests later gathered in the Gasparini Hall, the same room where Annie Leibovitz photographed King Felipe and Queen Letizia for the Bank of Spain’s portrait collection.
The Sultan’s visit focuses on cooperation in energy, infrastructure, and technology. Haitham Bin Tarik, who became ruler of Oman in 2020 after the death of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, maintains a close bond with Spain.
King Felipe represented the country at Sultan Qaboos’s funeral. The two nations have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1972, strengthened in recent decades by growing cultural and economic ties.