Royal family to walk behind queen's coffin as it moves to Westminster Hall

Latest: King Charles leads royals as Queen Elizabeth's coffin leaves Buckingham Palace

Prince William and Prince Harry will join King Charles III and walk behind Queen Elizabeth II's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state.

King Charles and the two princes — along with Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward — will follow the coffin on foot as it makes its journey on Wednesday afternoon.

Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips and her husband, Vice Adm Sir Tim Laurence, will also walk in the procession, as well as Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and David Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon.

Queen Consort Camilla, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will travel by car.

Wednesday's funeral procession will inevitably have echoes of the moment, 25 years ago, when the young princes, then 15 and 12, walked behind their mother Princess Diana's coffin after her sudden death in a car accident in Paris.

The procession will leave the palace at 2.22pm, making its way along The Mall, Horse Guards Road, across Horse Guards Parade and on to Whitehall to Parliament Square and into the Palace of Westminster, arriving about 3pm.

A service lasting about 20 minutes will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, accompanied by David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster.

The doors to Westminster Hall will then be opened, allowing the public to file past to pay their respects to the queen from 5pm.

The hall will be open round the clock until early on Monday, the morning of the queen’s funeral.

Organisers expect thousands to attend to pay their respects, and have prepared for queues of up to eight kilometres in length.

They are warning people to prepare for a long and physically demanding wait, with few opportunities to sit down.

Everyone arriving at the hall will be issued with wristbands, which will allow them to pop out for a short time for food or drink.

The queen's coffin will be guarded round the clock until the funeral by members of the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London, who are the sovereign's bodyguards.

Princes William and Harry, Earl Spencer and Prince Charles walking behind the coffin of Princess Diana in 1997. PA

The queen's coffin arrived at Northolt military airport from Edinburgh on Tuesday night, making its way through London to Buckingham Palace under heavy skies as members of the public lined the route.

At moments, there was applause and cheers and a few blooms were thrown into the path of the state hearse, and when it neared Buckingham Palace three cheers went up, with people lighting up the area with the torches on their camera phones, holding them above their heads.

Rehearsals for the procession of Queen Elizabeth's coffin in London — in pictures

An early morning rehearsal for the procession of Queen Elizabeth's coffin in London. PA
Grenadier Guards, a unit of the Household Division Foot Guards, take part in the rehearsal. AFP
Queen Elizabeth's coffin will be transferred from Buckingham Palace by gun carriage in a ceremonial procession taking place on Wednesday. Getty Images
Members of the of the Grenadier Guards form up at Wellington Barracks ahead of a final full dress rehearsal. EPA
Guardsmen march from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster during the early morning rehearsal. Getty Images
'Tri-Service' personnel taking part in a full dress rehearsal in London. EPA
Grenadier Guards march past Big Ben in central London. PA

Prince William and Prince Harry put on a united front with their wives during a walkabout on Saturday.

The brothers have a well-documented troubled relationship but the death of their grandmother led to them unexpectedly coming together to view floral tributes left to the late queen at Windsor Castle.

Prince William, Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in the same vehicle and greeted mourners for about 40 minutes before Prince William hopped into the driver’s seat of the Audi with his wife in the passenger seat, and his brother and sister-in-law in the back.

In his televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the king talked of his love for Prince Harry and Meghan, saying: “I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”

The UK mourns Queen Elizabeth II — in pictures

Then in Prince Harry’s tribute to his grandmother, released on Monday, he said he wanted to honour his father at the start of his reign as king.

The last time King Charles and his two sons were all seen together in public was at the service of thanksgiving for the queen in St Paul’s Cathedral during the platinum jubilee celebrations in June.

But on that occasion, Prince Harry and Meghan were seated some distance from King Charles and Prince William, on the other side of the aisle in the second row, behind the Wessex family and the duke and duchess of Gloucester.

This was Prince Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance alongside the Windsors since they stepped down as working royal family members in 2020 during the Megxit storm.

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace — video

In April 2021, Prince Harry and Prince William joined their father when they walked behind the coffin of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at his funeral.

The brothers were separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips, but he dropped back half a pace at one point so the siblings appeared closer together.

After the funeral service, Prince William and Prince Harry could be seen chatting as they walked back up the hill from the chapel to the castle.

Queen Elizabeth II's lying in state explained — video

Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

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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

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10 tips for entry-level job seekers

Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

FIGHT CARD

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Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
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Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
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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.”

$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

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