Royal visits
In 1979 HM The Queen and Prince Philip made a State Visit to Kuwait as guests of HH The Amir, Sheikh Jabir Al-Ahmad. In 1995 HH The Amir made a State Visit to Britain. The first State Visit by a Kuwaiti head of state was made by Sheikh Ahmad al Jabir in 1935, at a time when pearls were still Kuwait’s most precious commodity. Sheikh Ahmad presented Queen Mary with a perfectly rounded pearl, said to be the largest ever found in the Gulf.
Royal visits continue to demonstrate the strong ties between the Royal and Ruling families of the United Kingdom and Kuwait. HRH The Prince of Wales has visited Kuwait on several occasions. In 1993 on his first visit following Kuwait's liberation, HH The Amir awarded the Prince of Wales the Mubarak the Great Medal, Kuwait’s highest honour, in recognition of Britain’s role in the liberation of Kuwait. The Prince of Wales' most recent visit to Kuwait was in February 2007. HRH also visited Kuwait 10 years earlier in 1997. HRH The Princess Royal visited Kuwait in 1987, 1991, 1995. HRH The Duke of York also visits Kuwait regularly.
