LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell said it welcomed Qatar as a "major" investor following a report saying that the Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund was planning to buy a 3-5 percent stake.

"We are delighted to welcome the Qatar Investment Authority as a long term and major shareholder in Shell, and particularly given our excellent strategic relationship with the Qatari state," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

(Reporting by Tom Bergin)