On November 24, 2010, Queen Elizabeth II landed in the UAE for her second state visit to the country in 31 years, joined by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and second son, the Duke of York.
The royal party was greeted at the airport by President Sheikh Mohamed, who at the time was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Sheikh Mohamed greeted the queen with a handshake, welcoming her and Prince Philip to the UAE, highlighting the friendship between the two nations.
Together with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, they embarked on a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Wearing a gold headscarf, the queen paid her respects at the tomb of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, recalling his "deeds, wisdom and hallmark personality".
As head of the Church of England, it marked the first official visit to the mosque by the leader of another faith, several years before the Pope's visit in 2019.
Later, the queen and Prince Philip were greeted at a state banquet by President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. With more than 2,000 in attendance, to applause, the queen walked a red carpet, as dozens of traditional dancers chanted Arabic songs.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid showed the queen a model of Zayed National Museum, a building designed to resemble five falcon feathers, and she pulled back a curtain to reveal a plaque marking the start of construction.
Asides from naval and military marches and a 21-gun salute, the queen enjoyed a musical performance by pupils from the British School Al Khubairat — which she visited during her previous visit in 1979, when she arrived aboard the royal yacht Britannia at Mina Zayed port, and was greeted by Sheikh Zayed.
The queen also paid a visit to Sheikha Fatima, Mother of the Nation, and said she looked with "admiration to what women have achieved in the UAE", before continuing on to Oman — rounding off a milestone in Emirati-British relations.
Scroll through the gallery for a timeline of Queen Elizabeth II's life
-
April 21, 1926: Elizabeth, Duchess of York (1900-2002), gives birth to Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, her first child and the future queen. Getty -
December 11, 1936. Elizabeth becomes heiress presumptive when her father becomes King George VI. Getty -
November 20, 1947. Princess Elizabeth marries Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. Getty -
November 14, 1948: Princess Elizabeth gives birth to her eldest child Prince Charles. Getty -
August 18 1950: Elizabeth gives birth to her second child, Princess Anne. AFP -
1952. Princess Elizabeth ascends to the throne, learning of her ascension on a trip to Kenya with the Duke of Edinburgh on February 6. Getty -
June 2,1953: Crowned Queen Elizabeth II by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Geoffrey Fisher at Westminster Abbey. Getty -
February 19, 1960: Queen Elizabeth gives birth to her third child, Prince Andrew. Getty -
March 10, 1964. Queen Elizabeth II gives birth to her fourth and last child, Prince Edward. Getty -
May 18, 1965: Queen Elizabeth II with Paul Nevermann (1902 - 1979), the Mayor of Hamburg, in Hamburg during a an official trip to West Germany - her first state visit. Getty -
June 2, 1977: Livery-clad coachmen accompany the state coach bearing Queen Elizabeth II on her Silver Jubilee. Getty -
June 29. 1981: Prince Charles And Princess Diana marry. Getty -
June 21, 1982: Diana gives birth to Prince William. Getty -
September 16, 1984: Diana gives birth to her second child with Prince Charles, Prince Harry. Getty -
November 20 1992: Flames rip through private apartments in the east wing of Windsor Castle. AFP -
September 1, 1997: Diana dies after a car crash in Paris, sending the UK and world into shock. AFP -
November 20, 1997: The Queen and Prince Philip celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary at Westminster Abbey. Getty -
June 4, 2002: The Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh wave to well-wishers, as they ride the Gold State Coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral in London, for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. AP -
2007: Queen Elizabeth becomes oldest UK monarch on her actual birthday of April 21, and celebrates on her sovereign birthday of June 16 during the annual Trooping the Colour Parade. Getty -
April 29, 2011: The Queen's oldest grandchild Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge marry. Getty -
2012: Queen celebrates her diamond jubilee, which included a cameo in the London 2012 Olympics alongside actor Daniel Craig in his guise as James Bond. Getty -
September 9, 2015. Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history. Getty -
June 11, 2016 . Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 90th birthday. Getty Image -
February 5, 2017: Queen Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to reach their sapphire jubilee. Getty -
May 19, 2018: Grandson Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Megahn Markle, The Duchess of Sussex marry at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Getty -
April 9, 2021: Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip dies months short of his 100th birthday. Getty -
June 2022: Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear have cream tea at Buckingham Palace as part of celebrations for her platinum jubilee. Getty
