Prince Charles, Camilla in Oman at start of Gulf royal visit

MUSCAT, Oman (AP) - Britain's Prince Charles brandished a sword and took part in a traditional dance Saturday on his trip to Oman with his wife Camilla, the first full day of the couple's three-nation royal tour of the Gulf.

The Prince of Wales landed in the Omani capital of Muscat on Friday night, greeted at the airport by Omani Heritage and Culture Minister Sayyid Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said. Camilla landed earlier in the day.

Saturday morning, the couple visited Oman's new National Museum, greeted by traditional dancers. Prince Charles gamely waved the sword amid singing and dancing, drawing smiles from those taking part.

He later entered the National Museum, pausing at one point to look at traditional Omani khanjars, curved daggers carried ceremoniously at the waist by Omanis and those in neighboring Yemen. Other dancers twirled shining rifles.

The royal couple attended a service at Bait Al Noor Church afterward.

The pair are taking part in a series of cultural events while in Oman and are scheduled to see Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the country on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula since 1970.

Their visit comes as rights groups have written Sultan Qaboos over the recent targeting of journalists by the country's Internal Security Service.

Prince Charles and Camilla will travel to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as well on their weeklong trip.

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