Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales visits the Hayes Muslim Centre on March 9. Reuters
Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales visits the Hayes Muslim Centre on March 9. Reuters
Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales visits the Hayes Muslim Centre on March 9. Reuters
Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales visits the Hayes Muslim Centre on March 9. Reuters

Lifestyle

Fashion & Beauty

Kate wears Pakistani-designed headscarf for Muslim community centre visit

The British royal met members of the community who have been fundraising for survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Farah Andrews
Farah Andrews

March 10, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

The Princess of Wales wore a headscarf to visit a Muslim community centre in England on Thursday.

She accompanied her husband, Prince William, to thank “amazing” volunteers at Hayes Muslim Centre, who are involved in aid and fundraising for survivors of the February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

For the visit, Kate wore a black Catherine Walker coat over a black ribbed Alexander McQueen dress with a black and white head scarf. Commonly called a dupatta in the Indian subcontinent, the garment is part of a set designed by Pakistani designer Elan that includes the kurta Kate wore during her official visit to Pakistan in 2019.

The Princess of Wales wore a headscarf by a Pakistani designer to visit a Muslim centre in England on March 9; right, wearing a kurta by the same designer in Pakistan in October 2019. Getty Images
The Princess of Wales wore a headscarf by a Pakistani designer to visit a Muslim centre in England on March 9; right, wearing a kurta by the same designer in Pakistan in October 2019. Getty Images

She carried a black Grace Han handbag, wore black suede Gianvito Rossi shoes and Skyla London pearl earrings.

For the British royal family, pearl earrings are worn in times of mourning and loss, which will have likely been a conscious design from Kate's stylist, as the couple were paying tribute to lives lost in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The death toll has now surpassed 50,000 in Turkey and Syria.

Prince William and Kate met members of the community who have been fundraising for survivors.

“It's sad that there's a need to do funding — it's amazing there are communities like this here raising [funds],” the princess said during the visit.

The couple visited Pakistan in the autumn of 2019. Throughout the visit, Kate wore a number of outfits by Pakistani designers, including an embroidered shalwar kameez by Pakistani textile company Gul Ahmed and a blue kurta by Maheen Khan.

Prince and Princess of Wales visit communities raising funds for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria — in pictures

  • The Princess of Wales meets Dila Kaya, 14, one of two schoolgirls who made hundreds of origami cranes to raise funds for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, on a visit to London's Hayes Muslim Centre. PA
    The Princess of Wales meets Dila Kaya, 14, one of two schoolgirls who made hundreds of origami cranes to raise funds for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, on a visit to London's Hayes Muslim Centre. PA
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales were at the centre to meet partner members of the Disasters Emergency Committee Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. AP
    The Prince and Princess of Wales were at the centre to meet partner members of the Disasters Emergency Committee Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. AP
  • They praised 'amazing' communities fundraising for those left homeless after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. AP
    They praised 'amazing' communities fundraising for those left homeless after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. AP
  • The Prince of Wales makes an origami crane with Lina Alkutbi, 15. PA
    The Prince of Wales makes an origami crane with Lina Alkutbi, 15. PA
  • The couple were told £30,000 was raised by the local community, with £18,000 of that collected in just two hours after Friday prayers. AP
    The couple were told £30,000 was raised by the local community, with £18,000 of that collected in just two hours after Friday prayers. AP
  • As a mark of respect the couple removed their shoes and Kate covered her head with a scarf as the centre is also a mosque. AP
    As a mark of respect the couple removed their shoes and Kate covered her head with a scarf as the centre is also a mosque. AP
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales being greeted at the Hayes Muslim Centre. PA
    The Prince and Princess of Wales being greeted at the Hayes Muslim Centre. PA
Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Financial considerations before buying a property

Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says. 

Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.

Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier. 

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

While you're here
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'

Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

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.”

MATCH INFO

Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)

RESULTS

Manchester United 2

Anthony Martial 30'

Scott McTominay 90 6' 

Manchester City 0

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

More from Firas Maksad
MATCH INFO

Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)

Russia 0

If you go

The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.

The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).

When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.

Updated: March 10, 2023, 7:03 AM
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