Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 this month. Most people have long retired by the time they reach this age (if they live this long at all) but, true to form, she spent the day working.
Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s longest reigning monarch and shows no signs of slowing down. Last year she carried out 341 official engagements and over the course of her distinguished reign has visited more than 100 countries. She has travelled more than a million miles around the globe, according to some reports.
At least some of those miles were clocked up on her first visit to the UAE in 1979, as seen in the above photo. The monarch is in the back seat of a sleek Mercedes as her standard flies proudly on the front and the car is accompanied by a detail of camel riders.
During the landmark visit she held talks with the late President, Sheikh Zayed, visited Al Ain, met the rulers of the other six emirates and even took in a camel race.
The Queen was accompanied by an international press corps and the trip garnered much attention around the world.
In 2010, she visited the UAE for a second time and three years later President Sheikh Khalifa made his first state visit to the UK – exchanges that reinforce the enduring bond between the two countries.
* John Dennehy
