Tara Chirpy / 06 December 2024 / Categories: People, World Leaders, Opinions, Other

The Qatari State Visit to The UK

MUSINGS on client entertaining

On entertaining clients

I was pleased to see a small group of protestors out on the Mall the other day as the King and Queen, Charles and Camilla and Prince and Princess of wales rolled out the ceremonial carpet to welcome the Emir of Qatar and his 1st wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani to the United Kingdom. I do wonder how he keeps the peace at home deciding who gets to go to the parties and whether the women take it in turns.

I have visited Qatar a few times and whilst I disagree entirely with their less than progressive views towards women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and the rights of immigrant workers in Qatar and the double standards I have seen, pious, non drinkers at home, only to neck back the whiskey and don the Louis Vuitton suit as soon as they touch down at Heathrow or JFK.

It’s important I think to remember Qatar is a relatively new economy and society in western terms, not much there except desert, souqs and trading posts and Bedouin encampments were there until about 1970, less than 50 years ago.

We have to remember the British King and Queen were entertaining one of their/our best customers, Qatar spends approximately 5 billion pounds a year with us on arms and a host of other British things we sell them.

Anyone who has ever entertained a client knows you don’t get to tell them what you don’t like about them, if you want to keep the business. It must be a little awkward trying to avoid conversation about the other wives at home. Maybe why Kate didn’t go to the dinner.

Usually on a State visit the presents are pretty good. It wasn’t published what the Emir and his wife brought for the Queen and the Princess of Wales but in May 22 he visited the late Queen Elizabeth at Windsor and I am sure he brought a present before inviting the then prime minister Boris Johnson to the World Cup working hard to put a positive spin on the event amidst human rights accusations.