Charles cuts a dash
It may not catch on for Strictly, but the heir to the throne indulged in a ritual dance on a trip to Oman
The Prince of Wales takes part in a traditional Omani sword dance during a welcome ceremony outside the Sultan’s Palace in Muscat yesterday as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, looks on
NEVER one to shy away from a good dance, the Prince of Wales has once again slipped on his dancing shoes to mark another royal visit – but this time did so while wielding a sharp 3ft sword.
The Prince did the Hokey Cokey in Sri Lanka and ballroom dancing in New Zealand. But yesterday he took to the floor for sword dancing in Oman.
On the first day of his Middle East tour, the Prince, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, took part in Oman’s national dance, the razha, while waving a traditional sword as part of the warrior dance. It is not the first time the heir to the throne has attempted sword dancing, having previously taken part in it in Saudi Arabia, but on this occasion he seemed a little more relaxed as he laughed and joked while holding the weapon.
The Omani dancers were in traditional dress at the welcome ceremony, with their curved daggers, khanjars, tucked into their belts. One had a modern twist on the ritual as he was seen inserting his iPhone alongside it.
The Prince and the Duchess will undertake 50 engagements in seven days during their visits to the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Their visit, at the request of the British Government, is to promote the UK’s partnership in the region in areas including wildlife conservation and supporting women in leadership.
While Charles toured Muscat’s new national museum and viewed demonstrations of traditional handicraft-making, the Duchess met youngsters at the Oman Cancer Association’s Dar Al Hanan Hostel.
The museum’s artefacts include three ancient royal Rasulid tombstones on long-term loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Later, the Prince was flown to the 200-year-old village of Misfat Al Abriyeen, which is divided into old and new settlements, where villagers live in mud huts.
He was greeted to a rapturous welcome by youngsters waving Omani and British flags.
The Prince was then taken to the Ras Al Shajar nature reserve, where he was driven through a wadi – a valley – to view wild animals and birds.
Until recently its human inhabitants lived in caves, and Ali Al Ghadani, a ranger, showed the Prince the home he had built next to the cave in which he was born.
“I was so, so happy to see the Prince,” the 38-year-old said. “It is a great honour. The houses were only built eight years ago – before that we lived in caves for hundreds of years.”
The reserve is home to rare mammals including the Arabian gazelle and Arabian tahr, and villagers still use plants grown there for medicinal purposes.
The reserve is one of the longestestablished protected areas and is famous for its biodiversity, animals, plants and geological elements.
The couple then attended a church service, led by the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf.
It marked the 125th anniversary of the final visit to the country by Bishop Thomas Valpy French, the First Bishop of Lahore, who travelled to Oman in 1895 to establish an Anglican Church in Arabia.
The Prince also viewed the traditional art of making kuma hats using brightly coloured threads.
The royal couple finished their first day in Oman with a private dinner with the Sultan of Oman.