Kuwait’s Amir and King Charles III mark 125 years of diplomatic ties with historic meeting

• “We are proud of the historic ties between Kuwait and the UK and look forward to strengthening this relationship. This year, we celebrated with academic and cultural events, including a horticultural exchange programme through an agreement with The King’s Foundation,” said H. E. Bader Almunayekh, Ambassador of Kuwait to the UK.

On Wednesday, His Highness the Amir, Sheikh MeshalAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, visited Scotland to meet His Majesty King Charles III and officially conclude the joint celebrations between the United Kingdom and Kuwait marking 125 years since the signing of the Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899, which established diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The visit of His Highness included a tour of the historic Dumfries House estate, which serves as the headquarters of The King’s Foundation, where 10,000 students learn traditional crafts and rural skills each year; an official audience with His Majesty the King; and an exchange of gifts— a kilt and a bisht— manufactured using a special “Partnership 125” tartan that combines traditional weaving materials, patterns, colors, and techniques from both the UK and Kuwait, merging the two countries’ cultures.

The tartan exchange formally concluded the year-long celebrations marking a century and a quarter of official UK-Kuwait diplomatic relations, during which the governments of both countries organized numerous events, visits, and initiatives reflecting on their unique shared history and seeking to enhance future cooperation.

Reflecting on the visit, H. E. Bader Almunayekh, the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the United Kingdom, stated that “The visit of His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to Dumfries House is the culmination of a year full of activities celebrating 125 years of Kuwaiti-British partnership.”

“We are very proud of the historic relations between Kuwait and the United Kingdom and are keen to build on our work over the past year to grow the relationship further across the decades and centuries to come. We celebrated the relationship with many academic and cultural events, as well as the signing of an agreement between the State of Kuwait and The King’s Foundation, which led to the creation of a horticultural exchange programme. We were extremely pleased with the results of the first group that joined the programme and look forward to building on it over the duration of the agreement. We value the work of The King’s Foundation and hope for further cooperation in the future,” ambassador Almunayekh said.

H.E. Belinda Lewis, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the State of Kuwait, added, “The close friendship between the UK’s Royal Family and Kuwait’s Ruling Family has long underpinned our partnership, and it is therefore fitting that we are closing out joint celebrations to mark 125 years of official diplomatic relations with this audience and exchange of gifts between our respective heads of state.”

“The past twelve months have formed a special and memorable chapter in the UK and Kuwait’s shared history, further developing—through a series of visits, events, and initiatives—the links between our two peoples and our collaboration across areas including culture, trade, defense, and security. I am excited by the many opportunities to continue progressing our unique partnership over the coming year and beyond,” the British ambassador added.

Kristina Murrin, Chief Executive Officer of The King’s Foundation, said that “At The King’s Foundation, we promote traditional crafts and skills, so we are delighted to showcase this work through the creation of a special new tartan. Following this project, we are looking forward to continuing our horticultural exchange program between the UK and Kuwait, with participants able to spend time in our historic gardens across the country, including Dumfries House and Highgrove Gardens.”