It is a relationship forged 40 years ago on Britain’s Salisbury Plain and the wilds of the Brecon Beacons.
As young men, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and the King of Malaysia, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, met as officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Surrey.
As this picture shows, the pair endured all the rigours of the exhaustive training regime as well as the odd moment of relaxation and levity.
Dressed in British combat fatigues, Sheikh Mohamed beams at the camera.
Sitting back on his rucksack or bergen, meanwhile, the Sultan of Pahang, who was officially installed as Malaysia's 16th king on Tuesday, looks on a little more tentatively.
On Tuesday, Sheikh Mohamed offered his congratulations to the new King of Malaysia after attending his coronation in Kuala Lumpur.
The two friends have retained their bond after completing their time at the college passing out at the military college between 1979 and 1980.
Sheikh Mohamed was among the dignitaries who turned for a coronation steeped in tradition in the Malaysian capital on July 30.
The royal appointment was the second meeting between King Abdullah and Sheikh Mohamed in as many months.
The two leaders met at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi in June to discuss efforts to increase trade between the UAE and Malaysia.
The high-level talks focused on investment and development opportunities as well as broader regional issues.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
