Princess Anne, or more correctly Anne, Princess Royal, has been a regular visitor to these shores.
In 1987, the year in which Queen Elizabeth granted her only daughter the elevated title for her charity work, she paid an official visit to Dubai, where she was greeted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and pupils at Dubai English Speaking School.
The princess also opened the emirate's first international showjumping event, although this is not the subject of this week's photograph.
Instead it shows her at another riding event, three years earlier and this time in Abu Dhabi.
She is shown here with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, whom she was to divorce in 1992.
The couple's second child, Zara Phillips, like both her parents, is an accomplished rider, winning individual gold and silver medals at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and making her the Eventing World Champion.
This weekend, though, the princess and her parents will have other things on their minds than riding. Tomorrow, Zara, who does not carry a royal title, will marry Mike Tindall, captain of the England rugby union team, at the Kirk of the Canongate in Edinburgh, Scotland. Time Frame wishes the couple every happiness.
Time Frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Readers are invited to make contributions to yourpics@thenational.ae
