This month, the United Kingdom comes together to celebrate a remarkable achievement – the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
For the United Kingdom, this means a long weekend of leisure and fun, with celebrations organised throughout the country.
For the United Arab Emirates, it provides a moment to appreciate the decades of friendship our country has enjoyed with the queen, and to reflect on the wider bond between our nations.
For me, as ambassador, it also creates an opportunity to fondly remember my professional and personal experiences during my time in the UK while representing our wonderful country.
It is incredible to consider that the queen has witnessed the entirety of the UAE’s 50-year-history during her tenure. In many ways, she represents a constant when so much else has changed and progressed.
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Queen Elizabeth II is all smiles on a visit to the UAE in 1979. Ramesh Shukla -
The queen is joined by well-wishers. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Dubai's late leader, is appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George by the queen. -
The queen tours the docks. Photo Al Itihad -
Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, and the queen attend the inauguration of Le Méridien Abu Dhabi hotel. Photo: Le Méridien Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Zayed escorts the queen through the hotel. -
Col Mohammed Bin Saeed Alham Al Dhaheri meets the queen. Photo: Mohammed Bin Saeed Alham Al Dhaheri -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen pose for a photo. Photo: Al Ittihad -
The queen meets the UAE's rulers. -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen visit UAE University in Al Ain. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen enjoy a guided tour of UAE University. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen meet with university staff. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen meet with students. Photo: Al Ittihad -
The queen enjoys an extensive tour of the country. Photo: Ramesh Shulka -
The queen meets with the UAE's leaders. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen at UAE University in Al Ain. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Well-wishers line the streets to get a glimpse of the queen. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen in the lobby of the Le Meridien Abu Dhabi hotel. Photo: Le Méridien Abu Dhabi -
The queen is shown the latest developments in the UAE. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen talk with UAE University staff. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen at UAE University. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen at UAE University. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen attend class at UAE University. Photo: Al Ittihad -
The queen greets a child. Photo: Al Ittihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen. Photo Al Itihad -
The queen is presented with a gift. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Zayed with the queen and the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on board the 'Royal Yacht Britannia'. Anwar Hussein / Getty Images -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen at UAE University. Photo Al Itihad -
The queen tours the UAE. Photo: Ramesh Shukla -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen arrive at UAE University. Photo Al Itihad -
Sheikh Zayed and the queen greet each other. Photo Al Itihad
Since the signing of the UAE-UK Treaty of Friendship in 1971, the UAE has become an independent nation that has always retained a strong bond with the UK. And we have maintained our friendship with the queen, who first visited us in 1979, sailing into Abu Dhabi on board the royal yacht Britannia, to be greeted by His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Last month, following the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the queen’s grandson Prince William followed in her footsteps, travelling to Abu Dhabi to pass on condolences to our new President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
These personal touchpoints could be taken for granted, but they are important. Decades ago, the queen herself set the direction of our bilateral relationship. Today, both nations can point to significant benefits from that relationship, spread across a variety of industries and sectors.
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Sheikh Zayed, the Founding President, meets Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in June 1969. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they meet for an audience at Windsor Castle in March 2022. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth receives Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman during an audience at Windsor Castle in December 2021. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth with US President Joe Biden in the Grand Corridor during their visit to Windsor Castle in June 2021. Getty Images -
French President Emmanuel Macron and Queen Elizabeth chat as they arrive at a reception for the queen at The Eden Project in Cornwall, during the G7 Summit in June 2021. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in February 2019. Getty Images -
Former US president Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth inspect a Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle in July 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in April 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth greets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in March 2018. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets the Sultan of Brunei during a private audience at Buckingham Palace in December 2017. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and King Felipe VI of Spain ride in a carriage during a state visit by the king and queen of Spain, at Buckingham Palace in July 2017. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip pose with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and his wife Maria Clemencia Rodriguez ahead of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in November 2016. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Buckingham Palace in November 2015. Getty Images -
President of China Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan accompany Queen Elizabeth as they arrive for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in October 2015. Getty Images -
President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto is shown Mexican items in the Royal Collection by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in March 2015. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth walks around the Paris Flower Market with former French president Francois Hollande in June 2014. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth shows Irish President Michael D Higgins Irish related items from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle in April 2014. It was the first official visit by an Irish head of state to the UK. Getty Images -
Pope Francis welcomes Queen Elizabeth for a private audience during a visit to Rome in April 2014. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth meets former German chancellor Angela Merkel at Buckingham Palace in February 2014. Getty Images -
Former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai attends an audience with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in October 2013. Getty Images -
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in April 2013. Getty Images -
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, poses with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in November 2012. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip greet Bahrain's King Hamad as he arrives at Windsor Castle in May 2012. Getty Images -
Former US President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth and Michelle Obama arrive at Winfield House, London, the residence of the ambassador of the US, in May 2011. Getty Images -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi in November 2010. Andrew Henderson/The National -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Queen Elizabeth greet spectators at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi in November 2010. Andrew Henderson/The National -
Queen Elizabeth walks towards her plane with former Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Said, at Muscat Airport in November 2010. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip walk with Pope Benedict XVI to the Morning Drawing Room in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, in September 2010. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth with the former president of India, Prathibha Devi Singh Patil, as she arrived in Windsor for a state visit in October 2009. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth accompanied by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a David Beckham-signed football to a Turkish boy at a garden party held for her birthday at the British Embassy in Ankara in May 2008. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in October 2007. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth chats to former French president Jacques Chirac at Gleneagles, Scotland, in July 2005. Getty Images -
Former US president George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth, Laura Bush and Prince Philip pose in the music room at Buckingham Palace in November 2003. Getty Images -
Russian President Vladimir Putin is accompanied by Queen Elizabeth during a procession on The Mall, London, in June 2003. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth with the late president Nelson Mandela of South Africa riding in a carriage on The Mall in London, in July 1996. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip sit with former US president Bill Clinton at a banquet held at Portsmouth Guildhall in June 1994. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are greeted by former US president George Bush and Barbara Bush at the White House during a state visit to the US in May 1991. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Li Xiannian, the former president of China, standing outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in October 1986. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are met by former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and president Zail Singh at Palam Airport during a tour of India in November 1983. Getty Images -
Former US president Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth at a gala dinner at Windsor Castle in June 1982. Getty Images -
The late Pope John Paul II with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in May 1982. Getty Images -
Former US president Gerald Ford dancing with Queen Elizabeth at a ball at the White House during the Bicentennial Celebrations of the Declaration of Independence, in July 1976. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth with then Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito during a state visit to Yugoslavia in October 1972. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip pictured with former French president Georges Pompidou and his wife Claude Pompidou at the British Embassy in Paris in May 1972. Getty Images -
Former US president Richard Nixon, Queen Elizabeth, and former British prime minister Edward Heath walking in the rose garden at Chequers, the prime minister's official residence in England, in October 1970. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth stands next to former president Heinrich Lubke of West Germany in Bonn during a state visit in May 1965. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip meeting Pope John XXIII at the Vatican in May 1961. Getty Images -
Prince Philip, Princess Anne, former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Capt John Eisenhower, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, in September 1959. Getty Images -
West German President Theodor Heuss travels by landau from Victoria Station in London to Buckingham Palace, accompanied by Queen Elizabeth, in October 1958. Getty Images -
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip smiling as former US president Harry Truman gives a speech in Washington, in November 1951. Getty Images
Our economic ties are stronger than ever. More than 100,000 Britons have chosen to make the Emirates their home. We are by far the UK’s largest trading partner in the region, and have made huge investments in the UK economy – investments that will help the UK to boost its digital infrastructure and meet its net-zero ambitions. We tackle climate change and fight crime together. We have developed as true partners and we will continue to build a strong future together.
It could be said that these developments are purely economic or politically expedient, but this is untrue. Fundamentally, the strength of the partnership between the UAE and the UK rests on the relationship between our two peoples. And the queen, for decades, has served to remind us of the strength of that relationship.
When I first moved to London three years ago to take up my role as Ambassador to the Court of St James, I was privileged to visit Buckingham Palace - travelling from the UAE embassy in a horse-drawn carriage known as a landau - to present my credentials to the queen. I was struck, though not surprised, by her keen interest and knowledge of the Middle East and the Emirates. It was fascinating to hear her recall that 1979 visit and her memories of meeting His Highness Sheikh Zayed 40 years previously.
At the time, I described our meeting to this newspaper as “an extraordinary experience – almost a little bit sort of magical”. Looking back today, I am grateful that this was an experience I was able to have. I promised I would do everything possible to further strengthen the relationship between our two countries, and this promise continues to guide me in my role as UAE Ambassador to the UK.
The queen is an icon, a towering figure in the history of the UK and the world, and an inspiration to us all. In the 70th year of her rule, she continues to embody the spirit of openness and friendship for which she is greatly admired in the UAE.
It is no surprise that people in the UK will celebrate all that the queen stands for this month. And that Emiratis will take time to reflect on and honour the friendship that she has shown us. I certainly know I will.
Mansoor Abulhoul is the UAE ambassador to the UK.
