King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and the Prince of Wales have travelled to Oman to offer their condolences upon the death of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman. King Willem-Alexander is accompanied by Stef Blok, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
There will be three full days of condolences at the Al Alam Palace in Muscat. They will also meet with the new Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said – a cousin of the late Sultan.
The new Sultan has been receiving many mourners. The Oman News Agency reported, “His Majesty, may God preserve and protect him, received mourners from members of the Royal Family, excellencies, ministers, advisers, leaders of various sectors, and members of the Shura Council. He also received members of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited to the Sultanate, community elders and senior state officials, which included citizens, civilians and military personnel.”
Sultan Qaboos has already been buried in the Royal Family Cemetery, as it is custom to have a burial as soon as possible. He died on 10 January 2020 at the age of 79. A statement issued by the Oman News Agency said: “The funeral was led by His Majesty the Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, and was attended by Their Highnesses and members of the royal family, and military leaders, members of the State Council and members of the Shura Council. The funeral prayer was held at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, where the Sultan’s body was wrapped with the national flag.”
