Thousands of royal fans erupted into rapturous cheers outside St Paul’s Cathedral in central London on Friday, as members of the royal family gathered to give thanks for Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
People who had travelled hundreds of kilometres to witness the historic platinum jubilee celebrations craned their necks to catch a glimpse of some of the royal entourage.
The high-profile event fell on the second day of the national commemorations for the queen's record-breaking reign.
The queen, 96, who is the only British monarch to reach 70 years on the throne, pulled out of the service after experiencing “discomfort” at the Trooping the Colour celebration on Thursday.
Two members of a military guard of honour collapsed while they waited to welcome members of the British royal family and other guests at St Paul's
Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Prince William and his wife Kate were among nearly 40 members of the royal family to attend.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge is said to have told one of the people attending a post-service reception that the queen had a “lovely” time on Thursday but found the day “very tiring”. Gill Smallwood from Bolton met the duchess at the event in London's Guildhall and asked how the monarch was doing.
“[Kate] said, ‘yes, she was fine, it was just very tiring yesterday, and [the queen] had had a lovely, lovely time’,” Ms Smallwood said.
While senior royals were given a warm welcome by fans gathered outside the cathedral, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s entrance was marked by a mixture of boos and cheers.
The arrival of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan after a family reconciliation sparked cheers from waiting well-wishers. However, when the couple left from the cathedral following the service, some bystanders booed them while others whooped in support.
Sitting alongside her husband in the back seat of a Range Rover, Meghan beamed at the awaiting crowds and waved as she was whisked away.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew to the UK from the home in California this week with their two children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, who will turn one on Saturday. The queen is understood to have met her great-granddaughter Lilibet for the first time at Windsor Castle on Thursday.
It was the first time Harry and Meghan had been on full public view alongside fellow members of the royal family since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago.
Len and Myra Ellis travelled almost 300 kilometres from their home in Chester, north-west England, to take part in the jubilee celebrations.
It was a family affair for the couple, who brought along their daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren. Mr Ellis said attending such a high-profile royal event would help ingrain in his grandchildren’s minds the importance of the British monarch.
“It’s a momentous occasion, it’s never happened before and I don’t think it will happen again,” Mr Ellis told The National. “It’s something to remember.
“The queen has got the nation in her heart and she puts the nation before everything. Her job as queen comes first. Even during Covid she gave a message to the British people to say everything’s going to be alright, we will get back to normal.”
“This is history,” his wife chimed in. “We can say we were here and it’s wonderful. The queen is continuing her service and she has never put a foot wrong.”
Mary Anne Shorrock, who was born in 1951, the year before the queen ascended the throne told The National she was thrilled to see the royals in person.
“It was amazing,” said the royal superfan, who has previously seen the queen and Princess Diana carrying out public engagements. “It’s going out of fashion for the younger generation to admire the royal family and it’s a shame.”
Her daughter, Joanne Shorrock, said she felt compelled to make the 370-kilometre journey from Lancashire to London to claim a front-row seat for the historic occasion in honour of the queen.
The mother and daughter, accompanied by their friend, Stacey Jones, were among those who gathered under the early morning sun outside the cathedral to secure a good vantage point.
Ms Jones said she considered the queen a true inspiration due to the sense of continuity she has brought to the monarchy with her seven-decade reign.
“She stands for traditional values but she has also had to adapt,” said Ms Jones. “I admire her for being hardworking — she's just wonderful.”
Lisa Stewart and Jess Wightman were another mother and daughter who turned up outside St Paul's to show their respects for the queen's service.
The pair had travelled 120 kilometres from Kettering, Northamptonshire, on Wednesday to attend the jubilee celebrations in London and were among the tens of thousands who lined The Mall to watch Trooping the Colour on Thursday.
They pulled out all the stops for the occasion, donning jeans and jackets decorated with royal symbols and carried Union Jack flags.
“Just think what the royal family have done for this country's economy today, especially in London,” Ms Stewart told The National. “They have helped it and we just love them.”
Ms Wightman said she would like to see more of Britain's younger generations brought up to admire the royal family and appreciate their service to the country.
“At The Mall yesterday, there were a lot more older people than younger people,” she said. “It's a shame that young people were not bothered [to turn up]. I admire the queen for her hard work, responsibility and because she keeps on going and has not given up. I think she's brilliant.”
Senior royals will continue with the platinum jubilee celebrations on Saturday at the Epsom Derby.
The palace announced on Friday that the queen would not attend the horse racing event but would tune into the action on TV from Windsor Castle.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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More on Coronavirus in France
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
