The King and Queen have waved off the Emir of Qatar and his wife at the end of their two-day state visit to the UK.
Charles and Camilla stood on the steps of Buckingham Palace to watch Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sheikha Jawaher leave the grounds of the royal residence.
The foreign head of state and his spouse were hosted by the King and Queen during a lavish banquet on Tuesday night where Charles paid tribute to Qatar’s efforts in the Middle East.
The King praised Qatar’s “invaluable” efforts as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas war in a banquet speech in which he spoke touchingly of the bonds between the UK and the Gulf state.
He said: “In these most desperate of circumstances, Qatar’s continued toil, perseverance and diplomatic efforts are, quite simply, beyond compare.”
In his speech the Emir told Charles: “I would like to commend you, Your Majesty, for your steadfast commitment and unfailing leadership promoting inter-faith dialogue, peace efforts, and protection of the environment.
“Thank you, once again, for your incredible hospitality.”
Earlier the Emir returned to Sandhurst military academy, which he attended as a young man, to tour the military establishment and meet Qatari cadets.
Before saying goodbye the King introduced the Emir to his senior aides and the foreign head of state did the same.
Camilla, who revealed on Tuesday she had suffered a bout of pneumonia, looked relaxed and kissed Sheikha Jawaher on the cheek as they said goodbye.
The King and his wife watched as the Emir left for talks in Downing Street with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and patiently waited for his wife to leave in a separate vehicle.
The Prime Minister met the the Emir amid pressure to raise the Gulf state's human rights record with its leader.
The meeting and two-day state visit coincided with the announcement of a £1 billion clean energy partnership between Qatar and the UK.
Welcoming the Emir to Number 10 on Wednesday, the Prime Minister praised the "strong partnership" between the two countries, saying there was "so much more that we can do together...alongside the investment that we're able to announce today".
He also thanked the Emir for his "vital role" in the Middle East, where Qatar has acted as a mediator since the October 2023 attacks on Israel.
The Emir thanked the King for his hospitality and said he would discuss with the Prime Minister "how to go forward and how to put an end to this crisis" in the Middle East.
As well as discussing trade and investment, Sir Keir was expected to use the meeting to raise the issue of Emily Damari, the only British hostage in Gaza, alongside broader human rights concerns with the Gulf state.
While leader of the opposition, Sir Keir said he would not attend the football World Cup in Qatar because of the country's human rights record.
But he did visit Qatar in December 2023, meeting the Emir in Doha as he returned from the Cop28 climate summit in Abu Dhabi.
Asked whether he would be raising human rights concerns with the Emir on Wednesday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The PM is clear that where we have concerns with partners like Qatar, we will always raise them."
The £1 billion commitment announced on Wednesday includes investment in technology programmes operated by Rolls-Royce, as well as start-ups in the UK and Qatar focused on energy efficiency, carbon management and green power.
Originally announced in 2021, the partnership with Rolls-Royce is expected to see the creation of thousands of jobs at "climate technology hubs" across the UK and Qatar.
