King Charles Has Most Prominent Seat at State Dinner But the Second Best Seat Doesn't Go to Prince William

Spoiler alert: There's not a bad seat in the house

By Danielle Long

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Published Dec 4, 2024

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6:36pm

Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images

All eyes were on the royal family during the grand State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on December 3, marking the beginning of The Amir of Qatar's two-day visit to the United Kingdom.

As expected, King Charles III took the most prominent seat next to his honored guest, with Queen Camilla by his side. However, to the surprise of many royal watchers, Prince William wasn’t seated on the other side of the Sheikh. Instead, the guest of honor, Instead, the guest of honor, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar, took the spot beside the King, with Princess Anne—often dubbed the hardest-working royal—sitting next to him. So, where exactly was Prince William?

Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool / Getty Images

While he wasn’t seated directly next to his father and stepmother, the Prince of Wales still had an excellent position several seats down the table, next to the Sheikh’s wife. A video shared on the Royal Family’s official Instagram account revealed a glimpse of the banquet, including a moment showing William’s seat while King Charles delivered his welcoming speech.

In the video captured during the banquet, King Charles addressed the attendees, sharing, “The United Kingdom is proud to be Qatar’s oldest friend in the Western world. We have a special bond founded on mutual respect which has stood the test of time.”

The State Banquet was just one of several events planned to mark day one of the Amir’s official visit. The next day, December 4, King Charles and Queen Camilla bid farewell to Their Highnesses at Buckingham Palace, bringing their visit to a close.

While Prince William was very much present at the State Banquet, his wife, Kate Middleton, was noticeably absent from the event. However, the Princess of Wales did attend an earlier welcome gathering, accompanied by another royal. Catherine’s absence from the banquet comes as she continues to ease back into public duties following her cancer diagnosis and preventative chemotherapy treatments.

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Danielle Long

Freelance Editor, News and Entertainment

Writes breaking news and entertainment content
Covers award show red carpets and movie premieres
Has earned two Edward R. Murrow Awards

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King Charles Has Most Prominent Seat at State Dinner But the Second Best Seat Doesn't Go to Prince William

Spoiler alert: There's not a bad seat in the house

Freelance Editor, News and Entertainment

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