William & Catherine Led the Oman State Banquet Hours After Prince Harry’s Interview — and the Contrast Was Impossible to Miss

Oct 23, 2026 by apost team

The timing was not lost on anyone.

On October 20, 2026, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman began a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom — a carefully planned diplomatic occasion months in the making, involving a formal welcome by King Charles, a carriage procession through Windsor, and a state banquet for 160 guests in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. William and Catherine had prominent roles throughout. The day was supposed to be about Oman.

Then Prince Harry’s GQ interview dropped.

Published on the same day the state visit began, Harry’s interview with journalist Zach Baron contained a line that immediately dominated the coverage. “I want it to work out,” he said of his family relationships — and then added: “Some people don’t want it to.” A spokesperson for the Sussexes later clarified the comment was not a “swipe” at his brother, though it was widely interpreted as exactly that by royal commentators across multiple outlets.

Hours after the interview was published, William and Catherine walked into St. George’s Hall — Catherine in a sunshine yellow Elie Saab gown and Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, William in white tie and military decorations — and smiled their way through a state banquet for a visiting Sultan. King Charles, in his speech, praised William’s growing ties with Oman and noted the pride he felt that William and Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham had become patrons of the Jewel of Arabia expedition together. Charles did not acknowledge the interview. Neither, publicly, did William or Catherine.

The yellow gown. The tiara. The smiles. The year they have both had. And a GQ interview circling overhead like weather.

The state visit itself was a significant diplomatic occasion. Oman has not made a state visit to the United Kingdom since 2010, and the relationship between the two countries is deep — British and Omani military ties stretch back decades, and a substantial British expatriate community lives in the Sultanate. A three-day state visit, with a banquet at Windsor Castle and formal meetings with the King and the Prime Minister, represents a genuine investment in the bilateral relationship. The timing of the Harry interview landing on the same day was, in diplomatic terms, unfortunate.

William’s role throughout was prominent. He and Catherine were present for the formal welcome on the Long Walk at Windsor, alongside Charles and Camilla. They hosted the Sultan and his delegation at various points across the day. At the banquet, Catherine accompanied the Sultan into St. George’s Hall — a diplomatic honor that reflects the central position she and William have come to occupy within the working royal family.

Harry, in the GQ interview, said he has “not spoken to” William in any significant way. A source cited by one outlet noted that the brothers have not been in meaningful contact since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022. Harry also said he does not blame William for the estrangement — “That’s not how I feel, no” — and said he hopes the situation changes.

On the same evening, the man he was talking about stood in St. George’s Hall beside his wife and did what they have been doing all year: showed up, smiled, and kept going. The circumstances around them were, as they so often are, complicated. The appearance itself was not.

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Do you think William and Catherine handled the timing of Harry’s interview with grace? Do you think the state banquet appearance showed the royal family at its most resilient? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other royal fans out there!