Baku, December 4, AZERTAC

King Charles III has paid tribute to the "profound, personal and historic" ties between our "two great nations" as he hosted the Emir of Qatar at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, Sky News reported.

The British monarch was joined by the Queen who had not been taking part in the outdoor elements of the two-day state visit as she recovered from pneumonia.

Prince William attended the banquet without Kate, who has only partially returned to public duties after she began treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer in February.

Outside of the Royal Family, David and Victoria Beckham were among the 170 guests at the banquet in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace.

Mr Beckham was seen sitting next to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch inside the banquet hall.

The Emir was joined by the first of his three wives - Sheikha Jawaher.

The King began with a speech where he told the Emir it gave him the "greatest possible pleasure" to welcome him to the palace.

He continued: "In many ways, this evening might be seen as a homecoming, Your Highness is no stranger to these shores, having spent so much of your younger years at three of our most renowned institutions: Sherborne, Harrow and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Your many visits since then have served as a testament to the close personal ties that bind our nations and our families."

In an apparent reference to Qatar's mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas during the war in Gaza, the King also told the Emir: "I would particularly like to express the United Kingdom's deepest gratitude for your tireless mediation efforts over the past year in pursuit of peace, against the most unbearable heartache and suffering.

"In these most desperate of circumstances, Qatar's continued toil, perseverance and diplomatic efforts are, quite simply, invaluable."

Beckham was invited to the banquet because of his close relationship with Qatar after acting as a paid ambassador for the country when it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.