White tie is the most formal dress code in Western evening wear: tailcoat, white waistcoat and bow tie for men, full-length gowns and often tiaras for women. It is required at state banquets, including the dinner held during the Sultan of Oman’s October 2026 visit to Windsor. The code’s survival at court signals that state hospitality remains deliberately traditional — a formal counterweight to the motorcade age.
(The White House / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain))
Mentioned in: Gun Salutes, Gilded Carriages and Centuries of Ritual: Why the Oman State Visit Matters