Earlier this week Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, caused a sensation when he used his social media accounts to share pictures of himself and his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, riding a train on the London Underground.
As can be seen in this picture from June 1969, the late President Sheikh Zayed’s first official visit to the UK as the ruler of Abu Dhabi was a rather more formal affair and whether he was visiting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace or attending her official birthday celebrations at Trooping the Colour, traditional dress was the order of the day.
Sheikh Zayed was not the only Arab ruler to visit London that summer.
At a time when the only political certainty was Britain’s imminent withdrawal from the Gulf, each of the region’s rulers was keen to have their own direct discussion with the UK Foreign Office.
As well as the rulers of Bahrain and Sharjah, and the deputy ruler of Qatar, the ruler of Dubai and grandfather of the current Crown Prince, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, also made an official state visit.
* Nick Leech
