Qaboos bin Sa?id Al Sa?id (born November 18, 1940) is the Sultan of Oman. The only son of Sultan Sa?id bin Taymur, he rose to power in 1970. He received his primary and secondary education in Salalah and Pune, India, and attended a private educational establishment in England from the age of sixteen. At 20 he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After graduating from Sandhurst, he joined a British Infantry regiment, The Cameronians, and served in the 1st Battalion in Germany for one year. He also held a staff appointment with the British Army. For six years prior to Said bin Taymur's overthrow, Qaboos experienced virtual house arrest in the royal palace of Salalah. In July 1970, soldiers supporting Qaboos clashed with forces loyal to Said bin Taymur, and deposed him; Qaboos maintains that his father abdicated the throne. The British government helped to consolidate Qaboos' power. Qaboos acceded to the throne on 1970-07-23, moving to Muscat. There he declared that the country would no longer be known as Muscat and Oman, but would change its name to "the Sultanate of Oman" in order to better refl ect its political unity. In 1998, Qaboos ibn Sa?id was presented with the International Peace Award by the National Council on US-Arab Relations. The Sultan's birthday, 18 November, is celebrated as Oman's national holiday.