Welcome to the week ahead
Pageantry and remembrance
Windsor prepares to welcome the Sultan of Oman as Britain’s royal week brings together diplomacy, charitable work and remembrance. Alongside the state visit, attention turns to Aberfan and the 60th anniversary of a tragedy that still matters deeply to its community.
Below, we separate the Palace’s confirmed dates from reported plans. Anne’s programme stretches from Essex to Scotland, while our Royal Watch keeps a careful eye on the state banquet’s still-unconfirmed guest list.
Last updated: October 19, 2026. Dates are local to each event. This is a selection of announced engagements, not a complete royal calendar.
Portraits: RI illustrations, created with AI. They do not depict this week’s events.
The week, day by day
Confirmed dates and clearly labeled reportsMonday, October 19
Confirmed • Official diary
Princess Anne visits a Shaftesbury learning workshop in Thorpe Bay and opens English Rural homes in Manuden, Essex. In London, she attends the Royal Academy of Engineering’s New Fellows’ Dinner and Ceremony.
Tuesday, October 20
Confirmed • Palace announcement
King Charles and Queen Camilla begin hosting Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman at Windsor Castle. The state visit runs through Thursday, October 22.
A state visit combines royal hospitality with Britain’s diplomatic relationships. The Palace confirms the dates and hosts; the additional ceremony details below are attributed to reporting.
Reported • Ceremony and banquetTatler reports that William and Catherine will take part in the carriage procession, with Charles and Camilla hosting a state banquet that evening. Catherine’s attendance at the dinner is not explicitly confirmed in that report.
Confirmed • Official diaryPrincess Anne attends Transaid’s 2026 Showcase and a Trinity House court meeting in London.
The Duke of Gloucester opens the Almshouse Association’s Windsor office.
Wednesday, October 21
Confirmed • Official diaryPrince William visits Ynysowen Community Primary School in Aberfan.
Princess Anne holds a reception for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers’ 150th anniversary at Frogmore House.
Charles, Camilla and William will visit Aberfan’s Memorial Garden for the 60th anniversary of the disaster, according to the Palace’s official Royal Diary. On October 21, 1966, a coal-tip collapse killed 116 children and 28 adults. This is a community remembrance occasion, with the lives lost and those affected at its heart.
The official calendar now confirms all three at the memorial garden. PEOPLE’s reporting also describes plans to meet survivors and bereaved families.
Official Royal Diary confirmation · PEOPLE’s October 12 report
Reported • State visit programmeTatler reports a royal farewell to the Sultan and a Guildhall banquet attended by the Duke of Gloucester. The state visit continues, even though the programme moves beyond Windsor.
Thursday, October 22
Confirmed • Palace announcementOman’s state visit concludes. The Palace announcement gives October 22 as the final day.
Confirmed • Official diaryPrincess Anne attends the RSA Patron’s Lecture, a Maritime UK roundtable aboard HMS Wellington and a Royal College of Emergency Medicine senior fellows’ lunch, all in London.
Catherine, Princess of Wales is reported to visit The Treehouse children’s hospice in Ipswich on October 22. The engagement awaits official confirmation. Catherine has been patron of EACH since 2012 and delivered her first royal public speech at The Treehouse.
Friday, October 23
Confirmed • Official diaryPrincess Anne attends the Moredun Foundation’s livestock vaccine-equity conference in Penicuik, Midlothian.
Saturday, October 24
No entry for this date appeared in the official diary pages checked on October 18. Further appearances may be announced.
Sunday, October 25
No entry for this date appeared in the official diary pages checked on October 18. An empty public listing does not mean every royal has a day off.
Royal Watch: Unconfirmed
Who will join the state banquet?
Catherine’s daytime role is reported, but that does not establish her attendance at the evening banquet. No tiara or outfit choice has been announced in the sources checked.
Nor does a royal’s attendance at a previous banquet confirm a place at this one. We will follow the named guest list rather than assume appearances by Anne, Edward, Sophie or the Gloucesters.
The Sussexes
Harry and Meghan
RI illustrations, created with AI.
We’re watching for confirmed public plans for Harry and Meghan during October 19–25. In the meantime, catch up on their October 15 return to Nottingham, where they met young people and supporters.
Beyond this week
On the horizon
Confirmed • October 26Edward and Sophie have a Finland visit listed for October 26, outside this edition’s dates.
Confirmed • October 27–November 4The autumn tour begins October 27. Charles visits The Bahamas and Guyana; Camilla joins him for Antigua and Barbuda and the Commonwealth gathering.
Stay a little longer
Keep exploring
Anne and a century of remembrance
A meeting with a 100-year-old veteran at London’s Guards Memorial.
Read the story →Archive image, June 17, 2023. Katie Chan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full photograph retained.
Catherine takes her early-years work outdoors
What has been announced about nature and her next project.
Explore the project →Archive image, May 5, 2023. Ian Jones / FCDO, CC BY 2.0. Resized; full photograph retained.
Sources checked October 18: Royal Diary, further diary entries, Palace state-visit announcement, Tatler’s reported programme, Aberfan visit reporting and the autumn-tour announcement. Schedules may change. No event times or U.S. broadcast arrangements have been confirmed here.
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