Queen Elizabeth uses walking stick in public for first time

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has been seen using a walking stick in public for the first time for comfort rather than recovery.

She was handed the stick by the Princess Royal as she arrived at Westminster Abbey for a service.

The 95-year-old monarch was previously seen using a walking stick in 2003 and 2004 after a knee operation, but has generally enjoyed good health during her time as head of state.

She was at the abbey for a service to mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion.

The queen appeared at ease as she moved to and from her seat at Westminster Abbey but there was also a change made to her usual route, via the Great West Door, for a shorter route via the Poet's Yard entrance, to her chair.

Both developments are understood to have been tailored for the queen's comfort. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth leaves after a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the Centenary of the Royal British Legion at Westminster Abbey. Reuters

Adjustments have been made to major events before to help the queen.

In 2016, she used a lift rather than stairs to enter Parliament for the State Opening, circumventing the 26 steps of the Royal Staircase at the Sovereign's Entrance.

She has also not worn the heavy Imperial State Crown since 2016, and it is now placed on a deep red and gold velvet cushion during the proceedings.

Following surgery on her right knee, the queen left King Edward VII's Hospital in January 2003 using a heavy-duty stick, and also used a wooden aid at a Sandringham church service later that month.

A few days later, she used another adjustable stick when she unveiled a set of bronze gates on the Sandringham estate, using it as a means of gesturing during the event.

The Royal British Legion is famous for its annual poppy appeal, which encourages public donations in return for the red flower worn in memory of the UK's war dead.

In his address, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev David Hoyle, celebrated the Royal British Legion's ability to stitch “together our shattered experience” and make us “whole”, and said it has become the bridge between ordinary men and women and those “who have been set apart by serving in the forces".

The charity was founded on May 15, 1921, and brought together four national organisations established to care for military personnel and their families after the First World War.

The physical injuries of the returning servicemen were not the only issues that needed addressing. Some found it difficult to find work.

“The legion remembers truths that some would urge us to forget. The legion speaks into our silence. The legion stitches back together our shattered experience and makes us whole,” the dean said.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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