Kate Middleton to meet Emir of Qatar’s first of three wives as others stay home with 13 kids

Prince William will be joined by his wife Princess Kate today to welcome Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his first wife during his state visit to the UK

The Prince and Princess of Wales will soon be welcoming the Emir of Qatar during his state visit to the UK.

Kate, 42, will be making a rare appearance today with William to greet the Emir and his wife prior to accompanying them to a ceremonial reception at the Horse Guards Parade. The group will then meet with King Charles and Queen Camilla. The event marks a significant moment in Kate’s return to her royal engagements after having treatment for cancer.

The Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will be joined by his first of three wives, Sheikha Jawaher, at Buckingham Palace. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer tomorrow (Wednesday 4) at 10 Downing Street.

Tamim, 44, is the monarch and head of state of Qatar and holds the most powerful position in the country. He has ruled since 2013 and is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and the guarantor of the Constitution. He is the eighth ruler of Qatar and all of his predecessors have been members of the Al Thani family.

The Emir has married three times and has 13 children – seven sons and six daughters. He shares four with his first wife Jawaher, whom he married in 2005. He then married Sheika Al-Anoud in 2009 and welcomed five children. In 2014, he married his third wife, Sheikha Noora and they had four children. He speaks three languages, Arabic, English and French.

Speaking about Kate’s role in today’s visit, a royal source said: “The Princess is feeling positive about the future and very much looking forward to representing the Royal Family at the state visit and beyond. Her work has always been a great tonic to her as she continues to concentrate on her recovery moving forward to the end of the year and beyond.”

It comes after Kate, 42, celebrated a significant comeback to her Royal responsibilities. At last month’s Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, the mum-of-three made a rare back-to-back appearance. It was a poignant day as it was the first time she had undertaken Royal engagements over consecutive days since her diagnosis.

In a heartbreakingly honest reflection, Prince William has described 2024 as “the hardest year of my life” following the devastating cancer diagnoses of both his wife and father. The touching confession was made during his visit to South Africa, upon being questioned about the past year amid family health challenges.

The Prince of Wales didn’t hold back, revealing: “It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”

He went on to express profound pride for his close ones’ resilience, stating: “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”