Qatar emir to pay state visit to Britain

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the Emir and his consort

London: Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will pay a state visit to Britain in December, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the emir and his consort, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad Al Thani, for the visit on December 3-4, a statement said.

Charles, 75, has visited Qatar on eight occasions between 1986 and 2015.

The king and the 44-year-old emir's most recent meeting was in December 2023 at the UN COP28 summit in Dubai.

The emir and Sheikha Jawaher both attended Charles' coronation in May 2023.

London is seeking a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Qatar is a member.

The government says a deal could boost the UK economy by some £1.6 billion ($2.1-billion) and open up lucrative markets to British firms.

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and oil-rich Qatar was worth $6.8 billion at the end of the first quarter this year, the Department for Business and Trade said last month.

Qatari investment in the UK economy is already estimated to be worth more than £40 billion. In 2022 the Gulf state said it was committed to investing up to another #10 billion in Britain by 2027.