Saudi State Visit to the United Kingdom – October 2007

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is set to welcome King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on a State Visit at the end of October 2007 at Buckingham Palace. This will be the fourth State Visit by a Saudi monarch to the United Kingdom since Her Majesty’s accession to the throne in February 1952.

This State Visit like all State Visits is aimed at further fostering relations between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

A statement issued by Her Majesty’s State Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs read:

“The visit will further strengthen the good relations which exist between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Her Majesty the Queen will officially welcome the King of Saudi Arabia at Horse Guards Parade on 30 October 2007. After the official welcoming ceremony and guard of honour inspection Their Majesties will proceed to travel back to Buckingham Palace on a horse drawn carriage.

We can expect a glittering State Banquet to take place that same day, however the official programme for this State Visit is yet to be finalised.

The meetings of British and Saudi royals are no rare occurrences; all three previous Saudi monarchs paid their own State Visits to the United Kingdom and though Her Majesty the Queen has only visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia once in 1979 during a tour of the Middle East her children however have on several occasions visited the Kingdom or met with Saudi royals at various events.

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