• Sir Cliff Richard arrives at Wimbledon 2022, joining crowds who are back for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began. We round up other famous faces spotted at the tournament. PA
    Sir Cliff Richard arrives at Wimbledon 2022, joining crowds who are back for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began. We round up other famous faces spotted at the tournament. PA
  • Members of the British royal family Zara and Mike Tindall were in attendance. PA
    Members of the British royal family Zara and Mike Tindall were in attendance. PA
  • TV host Alexander Armstrong arrives to take his seat to watch a singles match in London. AP
    TV host Alexander Armstrong arrives to take his seat to watch a singles match in London. AP
  • Marvin Humes and his wife Rochelle were also seen in the stands. Getty Images
    Marvin Humes and his wife Rochelle were also seen in the stands. Getty Images
  • Martina Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, also in the Royal Box. PA
    Martina Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, also in the Royal Box. PA
  • TV host and author Richard Osman in the Royal Box. PA
    TV host and author Richard Osman in the Royal Box. PA
  • Kimberley Garner, second row from top, left, was seated behind Joel Dommett, centre row, left. Next to him is his wife, Hannah Cooper, and Mollie King. Amanda Holden, second row from top, middle right, chats with her daughter Lexi on day one of Wimbledon 2022. PA
    Kimberley Garner, second row from top, left, was seated behind Joel Dommett, centre row, left. Next to him is his wife, Hannah Cooper, and Mollie King. Amanda Holden, second row from top, middle right, chats with her daughter Lexi on day one of Wimbledon 2022. PA
  • Hannah Cooper, top left, alongside Mollie King who talks to Amanda Holden, top middle, and a friend. PA
    Hannah Cooper, top left, alongside Mollie King who talks to Amanda Holden, top middle, and a friend. PA
  • Tennis great Martina Navratilova, centre left, shares a joke with British astronaut Tim Peake. AP
    Tennis great Martina Navratilova, centre left, shares a joke with British astronaut Tim Peake. AP
  • Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper watching Andy Murray play on Centre Court. PA
    Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper watching Andy Murray play on Centre Court. PA
  • Former tennis pro Mark Petchey was all smiles as he arrived. PA
    Former tennis pro Mark Petchey was all smiles as he arrived. PA
  • Adventurer Bear Grylls and his wife Shara. PA
    Adventurer Bear Grylls and his wife Shara. PA
  • Kim Murray, wife of former Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, takes her place in the stands. AP
    Kim Murray, wife of former Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, takes her place in the stands. AP
  • Emma Raducanu's mum Renee Zhang, middle, waves from the stands. Getty Images
    Emma Raducanu's mum Renee Zhang, middle, waves from the stands. Getty Images
  • Raducana's mum applauds along with other spectators. PA
    Raducana's mum applauds along with other spectators. PA
  • Judy Murray watches son Andy Murray. AFP
    Judy Murray watches son Andy Murray. AFP
  • Former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux also joined the famous faces in watching the matches. PA
    Former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux also joined the famous faces in watching the matches. PA
  • BBC presenter Sue Barker, a mainstay of the broadcaster's coverage since 1993, will retire after the tournament. AFP
    BBC presenter Sue Barker, a mainstay of the broadcaster's coverage since 1993, will retire after the tournament. AFP
  • Serena Williams's mother Oracene Price, centre, and sister, Venus Williams, watch as Serena plays France's Harmony Tan in a first-round women's singles match. AP
    Serena Williams's mother Oracene Price, centre, and sister, Venus Williams, watch as Serena plays France's Harmony Tan in a first-round women's singles match. AP
  • Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis arrives on day three of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. PA
    Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis arrives on day three of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. PA
  • Carole Middleton, mother of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, arriving for a day of tennis. PA
    Carole Middleton, mother of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, arriving for a day of tennis. PA
  • British broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald. PA
    British broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald. PA
  • Sir Cliff Richard has made two appearances at the 2022 tennis tournament.
    Sir Cliff Richard has made two appearances at the 2022 tennis tournament.
  • Comedian Lee Mack arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. PA
    Comedian Lee Mack arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. PA
  • Birmingham City striker Troy Deeney and Alisha Hosannah arrive at the tennis club. PA
    Birmingham City striker Troy Deeney and Alisha Hosannah arrive at the tennis club. PA

Celebrities and royals at Wimbledon: Zara Tindall, Cliff Richard and Bear Grylls attend


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

Wimbledon 2022 is underway in London, with a flock of celebrities and royals making their way to the All England Club to watch the tennis action from the stands.

British royals Zara and Mike Tindall were in attendance on Tuesday for the second day of the championship, while on Monday, the Royal Box hosted Martina Navratilova, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, and British TV host and author Richard Osman, along with Prince Michael of Kent.

Click through the gallery above to see more stars in the Wimbledon 2022 stands

Osman wasn't the only British TV star in attendance, actor and host Alexander Armstrong watched a first round singles match on day one, while Made in Chelsea's Kimberley Garner, comedian Joel Dommett, with model wife Hannah Cooper, adventurer Bear Grylls and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden all watched the Centre Court action. Singers Marvin and Rochelle Humes, Sir Cliff Richard and Mollie King also turned out.

Kimberley Garner (second row from top, left) was seated behind Joel Dommett (centre row, left), who sat next to wife Hannah Cooper and Mollie King. Amanda Holden (second row from top, middle right) chats with daughter Lexi on day one of Wimbledon 2022, June 27. PA
Kimberley Garner (second row from top, left) was seated behind Joel Dommett (centre row, left), who sat next to wife Hannah Cooper and Mollie King. Amanda Holden (second row from top, middle right) chats with daughter Lexi on day one of Wimbledon 2022, June 27. PA

Wimbledon 2022 is set to run until Sunday, July 10. So far, British players Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray have played their first matches in the tournament. Raducanu, 19, was supported by her mother Renee Zhang, and Murray by his wife Kim Murray and mother Judy Murray. From the world of tennis, former professional player Mark Petchey and sports presenter Sue Barker have also attended.

For her first game in the tournament, Raducanu stood out wearing an expensive selection of Tiffany & Co jewellery worth $37,100 with her Nike tennis whites.

The sportswoman wore diamond and pearl Tiffany Victoria collection earrings, which are currently on sale for $9,300, and a matching necklace worth $4,800. The jewellery set was completed with a $23,000 diamond and white gold Tiffany T wide hinged bangle.

Raducanu was announced as a Tiffany & Co brand ambassador last year, following her US Open victory on September 12.

It is expected that more famous names and royals will attend the tournament throughout its two-week run. In recent years, the Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex have both attended, and in 2021, Priyanka Chopra, Tom Cruise, singer Lewis Capaldi and comedian Jack Whitehall were also spotted in the crowd.

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile

Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space

Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)

Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)

Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution) 

Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space  

Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy

The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Updated: June 29, 2022, 5:28 PM