On November 24, 2010, Queen Elizabeth II landed in the UAE for her second state visit to the country in 31 years, joined by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and second son, the Duke of York.
The royal party was greeted at the airport by President Sheikh Mohamed, who at the time was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Sheikh Mohamed greeted the queen with a handshake, welcoming her and Prince Philip to the UAE, highlighting the friendship between the two nations.
Together with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, they embarked on a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Wearing a gold headscarf, the queen paid her respects at the tomb of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, recalling his "deeds, wisdom and hallmark personality".
As head of the Church of England, it marked the first official visit to the mosque by the leader of another faith, several years before the Pope's visit in 2019.
Later, the queen and Prince Philip were greeted at a state banquet by President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. With more than 2,000 in attendance, to applause, the queen walked a red carpet, as dozens of traditional dancers chanted Arabic songs.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid showed the queen a model of Zayed National Museum, a building designed to resemble five falcon feathers, and she pulled back a curtain to reveal a plaque marking the start of construction.
Asides from naval and military marches and a 21-gun salute, the queen enjoyed a musical performance by pupils from the British School Al Khubairat — which she visited during her previous visit in 1979, when she arrived aboard the royal yacht Britannia at Mina Zayed port, and was greeted by Sheikh Zayed.
The queen also paid a visit to Sheikha Fatima, Mother of the Nation, and said she looked with "admiration to what women have achieved in the UAE", before continuing on to Oman — rounding off a milestone in Emirati-British relations.
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