Britain's King Charles commended refugees from Syria on their "remarkable skills" during a royal visit on Wednesday to London restaurants preparing for Ramadan.
Refugee chef Imad Al Arnab greeted King Charles at his restaurant, Imad's Syrian Kitchen, along with a group of Syrians including doctors and charity workers. He congratulated one of them, filmmaker Waad Al Kateab, who won a Bafta award in 2020 for her war documentary For Sama.
As he met more British Syrians contributing to their community, he said: "It fascinates me, how many people who escaped actually have the most remarkable skills". The king said "presumably your skills are hugely in demand" to Abdulkarim Ekzayez, a doctor.
About 20,000 people fleeing Syria's civil war resettled in Britain during the last decade of Bashar Al Assad's rule. Weeks after rebels took power in Damascus, King Charles made a donation to support humanitarian work by the International Rescue Committee, a charity. He previously met members of the Syrian and Turkish diasporas to show support after devastating earthquakes in February 2023.
The king's stop at Imad's Kitchen followed a visit to Darjeeling Express, an Indian restaurant next door, where he packed boxes of dates with his wife, Queen Camilla. The royal couple met a group of Muslim women including the rugby player Zainab Alema and author Hajera Memon.
Asma Khan, the owner of Darjeeling Express, joked she "didn't realise the king would be so fast" at packing the donation boxes, which will be sent to hospitals for iftar meals during Ramadan. King Charles laughed and said: "I don’t waste time."
The king and queen also met doctor Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, a former winner of the TV cooking contest MasterChef. The king laughed as he recalled "the rude things they say" on the show.
Imad's Syrian Kitchen opened in 2020, when Mr Al Arnab – who lost two restaurants and a chain of juice bars in Damascus when he fled Syria in 2025 – returned to his passion for food. He had initially worked as a car salesman after settling in Britain.
In 2021 he told The National of his desire to "give back to the community and at least say thank you to the supporters of refugees". He said his home-made falafel and hummus were the biggest hits at his restaurant. "When you serve Syrian food for non-Syrian people, it’s much easier and you can be creative," he said.
