The Queen welcomes special guest to Windsor Castle ahead of Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The Queen will mark her Platinum Jubilee in June

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The Queen is gearing up for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations and ahead of the festivities, she has welcomed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

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Her Majesty hosted the Emir at Windsor Castle and was pictured shaking hands with him in the Oak Room sitting room. The monarch was smiling as she met the ruler, and was wearing a beautiful floral dress that was coloured green and blue. The Sheikh had been in the United Kingdom to meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson for bilateral discussions, where an invitation to the FIFA World Cup, due to be hosted by Qatar in 2022, was extended.

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Her Majesty had previously met with the Emir's grandfather, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, during a state visit to Qatar in 1979. In 2018, the Emir sent a cable of congratulations to the monarch to mark the anniversary of her ascending to the throne.

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The visit comes a day after the Queen used a buggy as a mode of transportation as she attended the Chelsea Flower Show.

The monarch was joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

The Queen hosted the Emir of Qatar

As the royal arrived looking pretty in pink, she was greeted by the President of the Royal Horticultural Society, Keith Weed, before touring the gardens and seeing the displays.

The displays included the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Garden, which will feature laser-cut steel silhouettes of the Queen, surrounded by 70 planted, terracotta pots, representing each year of Her Majesty's reign.

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There was also The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden, which harks back to the Battle of Britain in celebration of the support the charity has provided to RAF personnel, veterans and their families for over 100 years.

The royals were also shown the Mind Garden, which provides a colourful place for people to connect and open up, which will later be transported to a local Mind, providing eco-therapy for those with mental health problems.

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