Britons flock to Dubai's QE2 to watch King Charles III's coronation


Sarwat Nasir
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  • Arabic

Patriotic Britons made a royal appointment at Dubai's Queen Elizabeth II floating hotel on Saturday to watch King Charles III's coronation.

Many came dressed in red, white and blue — the UK flag colours — and wore crowns and tiaras to mark the occasion at the former ocean liner.

It is the first coronation to be held in 70 years, and the QE2 was a fitting location for celebrations in the UAE, given its history as a British transatlantic liner and a cruise ship from 1969 to 2008.

Now operating as a hotel in Port Rashid, Bur Dubai, organisers opened the QE2's doors to nearly 500 guests on Saturday.

A perfect place to watch

Royal pageantry was on full display on the former ocean liner. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Royal pageantry was on full display on the former ocean liner. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Sharon Codner, a Briton who lives in Dubai, was there with her twin sister Sara and their friend.

“What a perfect place to be — the QE2,” she said.

“This is the first coronation in our lifetime so far. The last one was 70 years ago.

“There’s probably going to be a few tears later, as well. It really grounds you. We’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.”

There were gatherings held at three venues on the floating hotel, including at its ballroom called The Queen’s Room, the Golden Lion bar and at the Queen’s Grill restaurant.

Large screens placed in each of the locations helped guests follow the events from Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

Pomp and ceremony

Hundreds of guests enjoyed the historic ceremony on board the 'QE2'. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Hundreds of guests enjoyed the historic ceremony on board the 'QE2'. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Men dressed as British royal guards greeted guests into the ballroom, where a luncheon with traditional British dishes were being served.

Paul Jude, a Briton who has been a Dubai resident for 10 years, was attending with his wife and daughter.

“For the majority of people in the UK, this will be the first coronation that they would’ve had in their lifetime, which makes it a colossally historical event,” he said.

“This is an ideal place to celebrate it because it’s quintessentially British, with a great history to it.

“It’s nice that there are so many expats, UK in particular among others, that come together and celebrate these sort of events.”

Jay Pathak, a Briton who has been living in Dubai for 16 years, also attended the event with his wife and three young children.

He said that the UAE does a “great job” in hosting important historical events.

“It’s lovely being in a place like Dubai, in the Middle East, where we can celebrate something so special to the UK people,” he said.

“It’s what best about Dubai — it’s always celebrating different occasions, whether its religious occasions or events like the coronation.

Ferghal Purcell, general manager of QE2, said that they were proud to host events to mark historic days in the UK.

“It’s been 70 years since there’s been a coronation. King Charles will be crowned today. It’s very special.

“We don’t know how often we’ll see it again, so today is wonderful and it’s been so well-received.

“There’s a strong expat community here in Dubai and they love the sense of occasion.

“All the girls here today are beautifully attired and there’s a whole sense of patriotism on show.”

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The specs

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Crops that could be introduced to the UAE

1: Quinoa 

2. Bathua 

3. Amaranth 

4. Pearl and finger millet 

5. Sorghum

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)

Saturday

Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)

Valencia v Granada (7pm)

Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)

Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)

Sunday

Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)

Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)

Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)

Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)

Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)

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In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
MATCH INFO

Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)

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The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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MATCH INFO

Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)

Charles 57, Amla 47

Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)

Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9

Bangla Tiger win by five wickets

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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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The winners

Fiction

  • ‘Amreekiya’  by Lena Mahmoud
  •  ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

  • ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi;  translated by Ramon J Stern
  • ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

  • ‘Footnotes in the Order  of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

  •  ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb 
City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

Updated: May 06, 2023, 10:33 AM`