The UK royal family were given a stark reminder of the dangers to their safety when a man was arrested just days before the coronation of King Charles III on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
The drama unfolded on Tuesday evening after the man approached the gates to Buckingham Palace and threw several items into the grounds suspected to be shotgun cartridges and was allegedly found carrying a knife.
With hundreds of world leaders arriving in London, the security services are carrying out one of the biggest operations in recent years to protect the coronation route.
It will see rooftop snipers and undercover officers, as well as airport-style scanners, sniffer dogs and a no-fly zone over central London.
Alec Galloway, a member of the Scots Guards who tackled a gunman who fired six shots at Queen Elizabeth II during the 1981 Trooping the Colour, has praised the security services.
“It is very sad that this has happened during the build up to the coronation,” he said.
“But the security will be very high and they will be ready for anything, as they have been during this incident. These incidents are happening more than usual.”
The day the queen was shot at six times
Over the years there have been repeated incidents targeting the royal family.
It was during the 1981 Trooping the Colour that Mr Galloway tackled Marcus Sarjeant after he fired six shots from the crowd at the queen.
The then 37-year-old lance corporal feared the queen would be killed and launched himself at the attacker.
It led to Mr Sarjeant becoming the first person since 1966 to be prosecuted under the 1842 Treason Act and he was sentenced to five years for his “wicked” intention.
Princess Anne survived armed kidnap attempt
In 1974, Princess Anne was subjected to a kidnap attempt as she returned to the palace following a charity event.
Unemployed labourer Ian Ball had hired a van and forced her car to stop, before firing shots at her chauffeur and bodyguard.
He climbed into her car and ordered her to get out to which she replied: “Not bloody likely.”
An amateur boxer walking by came to her rescue and repeatedly punched Ball.
Police later found a ransom note for almost $4 million.
Ball, then 26, was prosecuted for attempted murder of the bodyguard and sentenced to life imprisonment in a psychiatric hospital.
Intruder sat on queen's bed
In July 1982, 31-year-old painter and decorator Michael Fagan scaled Buckingham Palace's four-metre walls, entered the palace and made his way to the queen’s bedroom where she was sleeping.
She woke and alerted her security staff.
It was one of the biggest royal security breaches of the 20th century.
Mr Fagan's actions were, at the time, a civil wrong rather than a criminal offence, so he was not charged with trespassing.
Eggs thrown at King Charles
Last year a man threw five eggs at King Charles during a visit to York.
Patrick Thelwell, 23, hurled the eggs towards the king and Queen Consort Camilla last November, but luckily all five missed.
He was found guilty of a public order offence after he admitted throwing the eggs, but claimed it was “lawful violence”.
Convicted murderer Denis Hennessy scaled the palace wall
In 2016, convicted murderer Denis Hennessy scaled the perimeter wall and got within metres of the queen.
After 10 minutes of walking around, he was apprehended by officers.
He told them he was admiring the view and asked: “Is ma’am in?”
Hennessy had a previous conviction for murdering a homeless man with an iron bar.
Terrorist armed with sword went to the palace
In 2016, Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 28, from Luton, was found outside the palace with a sword.
He was cleared of attacking police officers with the weapon but was later convicted of plotting terror attacks.
The jury in the palace incident believed his claims that he had not intended to harm anyone and that he simply wanted to commit suicide, to be shot dead by armed police.
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.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
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