A Royal Wedding with the Queen is one thing. A royal wedding on the QE2? It could only be in Dubai.
The former luxury liner, now moored permanently in Port Rashid as a floating hotel and tourist attraction, was the perfect venue to watch the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - or at least a live stream from Windsor on Sky television.
About 100 members of the city’s Anglophone community gathered to watch at the ship’s Golden Lion bar, its wooden panelled interior sensitively shielded for both Ramadan and republicans by heavy red velvet curtains.
Among those attending was Lynda Kirby, wearing a blue feathered hat adorned with an ostrich plume.
“It’s 1920’s” she explained. “I sell vintage clothing.” Her outfit include elbow length white gloves “They’re 1950s”, and a floor length dress of French lace.
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Royal wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot
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For decoration there were around a dozen brooches, including an original from the QE2 in her cruising days.
Mrs Kirby and her husband Martin have lived in Dubai for 17 years and were also celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary.
“We love the royals and we love cruising,” she said. “I’d love to have tea with the Queen but this is the next best thing.”
To make the occasion complete, the Golden Lion was decorated with cutouts of London buses and beefeater guards, more properly known as Yeomen of the Guard, while each table was decorated with a centrepiece of plastic Union Jack flags.
Chefs on the QE2 had laboured to produce a feast of traditional British dishes that included mushy peas*, chicken tenders, Scotch eggs and onion bajis. At the centrepiece was a classic cheese and pineapple hedgehog**.
For Lesley Jones it was all eerily familiar. She had served on the ship as a purser when it was the Far East in 1989.
“The moment I walked in, it was exactly as I remembered it,” she said.
In Windsor it was a balmy Spring morning. In Dubai, thanks to the QE2’s vigorous new air conditioning, those in less formal clothing were able to call for fake fur throws to wrap around themselves as protection against hypothermia.
As the guests arrived in Windsor, attention on the QE2 turned from sausage rolls and miniature pots of jelly and custard to the high point of any royal wedding: the hats.
There was applause for Amal Clooney’s large yellow saucer, a cheer for the Duchess of Cornwall’s floral arrangement, and an even larger one for arrival the footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria 'Posh Spice' who had chosen sober black number. A chorus of "ahhs" greeting the bride's mother, Doria Ragland.
It was the first glimpse of the bride, though, and the arrival of the Queen, that produced a roar of approval that set the old lady rocking (the ship, obviously).
By the time Harry and Meghan were exchanging vows, the plastic flags were beginning to wave. The sermon by the US Bishop Michael Curry was another highlight, even if there were some reservations expressed vocally at its length on one table. (“Stop, please stop now”, said one).
Everyone cries at a wedding, and this was no exception. An entire table of young women wept in unison, as the couple were finally pronounced man and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
They recovered to join the rest of the gathering in a rousing chorus of God Save the Queen, the UK national anthem. By then there was not a dry eye, nor a glass, in the house.
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*Mushy peas are a popular dish in the north of England, made of dried peas which are boiled for several hours and then mashed
**All the rage in 1970's Britain, chunks of cheddar cheese and pineapple are alternately threaded on toothpicks and embedded in a half pineapple to vaguely resemble a hedgehog
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Naga
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Saturday's results
Women's third round
- 14-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-2
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4. 6-0
- Coco Vandeweghe (USA) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-2, 6-4
- 9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 19-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6, 6-1
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-0
Men's third round
- 13-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1, 6-1 -- retired
- Sam Queery (United States) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
- 6-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat 25-Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
- 10-Alexander Zverev (Germany) beat Sebastian Ofner (Austria) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
- 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Adrian Mannarino (France) beat 15-Gael Monfils (France) 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
