State visits are formal visits to the United Kingdom by Heads of State from overseas.
A State Visit normally last two or three days and start with an official reception at either Horse Guards in London, Windsor Castle or the Palace of Hollyrood House in Edinburgh.
Invitations to Foreign Monarchs, Presidents or Prime Ministers are sent on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
State Visits normally begin with a ceremonial welcome attended by The King and other senior members of the Royal Family.
Once His Majesty The King and other dignitaries have met the visitor they will normally inspect a Guard of Honour, provided by one of the Battalions or Incremental Companies of the Household Division.
The Captain of the Guard will always present the Guard in the language of the visitor.
After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the visiting President or Monarch then travels by carriage with HM The King to Buckingham Palace with the Household Cavalry providing a Sovereign's Escort.
The Amir of the State of Qatar, accompanied by Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, will pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom in December 2024.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will greet the Amir, at tKensington Palacel, on behalf of The King on the morning of Tuedsay 3 December.
His Royal Highness will travel with the Amir to Horse Guards Parade, where Their Majesties will receive a Ceremonial Welcome.
The King and Queen will formally welcome the Amir and Sheikha at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade.
Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Qatari National Anthem will be played.
The Amir, accompanied by The King, then inspects the Guard of Honour,provided by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards with the Band of the Welsh Guards.
Afterwards, the Amir and Sheikha will join The King and Queen, and The Prince of Wales, in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be met by a second Guard of Honour drawn from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41 Gun Salute to mark the Ceremonial Welcome to the Amir of the State of Qatar.
(The salute will be fired at a time coinciding with the arrival of the Amir and Sheikha at Horse Guards Parade).
Guard of Honour and Official Welcome - Corner of St James's Park facing Horse Guards.
Carriage Procession: - The Mall or the Memorial Garden, near Queen Victoria Memorial
Gun Salutes - Green Park by Constitution Hill. Gun Wharf Tower of London.
Official Welcome - Datchet Road
Carriage Procession - Thames Street, High Street, Park Street, Cambridge Gate
The Procession enters the Castle, (which is closed to the public during a State Visit), through the George IV Gateway where the Honour Guard ceremony takes place.
Location: Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2AX
The nearest tube stations are:
Charing Cross - About 6 minutes walk. Bakerloo, & Northern line
Embankment - 10 minutes walk. Bakerloo, Northern, District & Circle line
Busses: 11, 12, 159, 24, 3, 453, 53, 87, 88,
N109, N11, N136, N155, N2, N3, N381, N44, N87
Nearest, mainline, train station:
Charing Cross- About 6 minutes walk
Not recommended, Horse Guards Parade is in the congestion charge zone.
Parking is difficult to find and expensive.
The Visitor Oyster Card is the cheapest and most flexible way to travel around London.
Valid on London Underground, buses, trams and the Dockland Light Railway (DLR).
The London Travelcard gives you access to unlimited travel on London Underground trains, buses, Docklands Light Railway, trams and overland trains within London.
Windsor is 30 miles (50km) West of London.
From London you can get to Windsor from both Waterloo and Paddington stations.
Trains from Waterloo to Windsor & Eaton Riverside Station depart every half hour throughout the day, hourly on Sundays.
The journey takes about an hour and 20 minutes.
Windsor & Eton Riverside - About a 10 minutes walk.
Trains from Paddington to Windsor Central depart every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day.
The journey takes about 35 minutes. You have to change trains at Slough.
Greenline bus number 702 leaves from Victoria Colonnades, near London Victoria Coach Station every half hour, approximately, during the day. The journey takes about an hour.
Windsor is accessible via the major motorway networks of the M3, M4, M25 and M40
The journey time from London is approximately 40 minutes and Heathrow airport is about 15 minutes away.
Parking throughout Windsor is controlled and quite expensive.
Consider the Long Term parking if you are visiting Windsor Castle as a 20 minute walk saves about a third of the cost of short term parking in Windsor centre, most of which will be inaccessible due to road closures before and during the procession.
Another option is to use the Park and Ride services at Legoland Windsor or Windsor Home Park. Parking at Legoland is free.
Parking at Windsor Home Park is "pay and display". There is a small charge for bus fare.
Check the Ceremonial Events calendar for details of State, Royal and Military ceremonial events scheduled to take place
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