On Monday Britain celebrates Queen Elizabeth II's Sapphire Jubilee – but the monarch herself remembers the day only as the 65th anniversary of her father's early death.
On Monday the citizens of Edinburgh, Cardiff and Hillsborough will hear 21-gun salutes from their respective castles, while for Londoners it will be 41 guns from Green Park and 62 from the Tower.
As subjects of Queen Elizabeth II, they have become used to these salutes as their beloved sovereign continues to break records. This latest one is her Sapphire Jubilee – marking 65 years since her accession.
On February 5 1952, Elizabeth Windsor climbed a mgugu tree as a princess and the following morning came down as a queen. She and Prince Philip were in Kenya en route to Australia, staying at the famous Treetops Hotel. The following day, she was watching the sun rise from a platform in the trees as an eagle soared above them. It was thought that, at that moment, her beloved father, George VI, died in his sleep at Sandringham.
And so the 90-year-old monarch considers she has nothing to celebrate on February 6. She will spend it quietly in the house where her father died at age 56. She once said she has reigned so long only because “my father died much too young”.
Her longevity and constitution, reminiscent of her remarkable mother, continues to amaze.
Elizabeth is now the longest reigning monarch, after the 2010 death of Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, who ruled for 62 years 102 days; and last year of Thailand’s King Bhumibol who reigned for an astonishing 70 years 126 days.
History attributes the longest reign in living memory, of 82 years 254 days, to Swaziland’s King Sobhuza II (1899–1982). There is even one case – of Shapur II of Persia, whose 70-year reign (309–379) began in utero – the crown was placed on his mother’s belly.
On her 21st birthday, four years before she succeeded, the princess pledged: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” At 65 years and counting, it is universally agreed that Elizabeth has been true to her word.
While she sounded so certain and determined, Elizabeth’s destiny had only dawned in December, 1936 when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, hoisting his younger brother, her father, on to the throne.
When a footman brought the news to the young princesses that their papa was king, Princess Margaret asked, “Does that mean that you will have to be the next queen?” “Yes, someday,” Elizabeth replied. “Poor you,” countered Margaret. Biographers claim that every night thereafter Elizabeth prayed for a brother.
That prayer was not answered but in 1947 another was when she married Philip Mountbatten, the young man she had fallen in love with at 13.
When asked what his job was, Prince Philip has always answered “to support the queen” and, for all his gaffes and restlessness, he too has been true to his word. Incredibly, this year will mark their 70th wedding anniversary.
Despite the hopes, it was never to be a New Elizabethan Age. The fabric of Britain was still rent by the Second World War and as it recovered, Europe emerged and the empire crumbled. Brexit will not revive it but what arose from the remnants of the empire was the Commonwealth and its survival, against extraordinary odds, is one of the queen’s greatest achievements.
Lord Chancellor Hailsham once observed that while the US system of government was “an elective monarchy with a king who rules but does not reign”; the British system was “a republic with a hereditary life president who reigns but does not rule”.
Another comparison is that of a non-executive chairman. The presence of a chairman guarantees balance. She may advise, recall past failures – and successes, represent the company at functions and listen to its problems.
If the queen is the chairman, her chief executive is the prime minister. She has seen 13 of them – her first, Winston Churchill, born in 1874; her most recent, Theresa May, was not even born when Elizabeth became monarch.
Her role is essentially a passive one, as she does not criticise, lecture or dictate, but she can and does question.
It is said – again this is speculation – that when, in 1956, Anthony Eden told the queen about Westminister’s intention to intervene over the Suez, she apparently said, “Are you sure?”. For her majesty, this is the equivalent of “Are you mad?”
The queen’s abiding devotion to the Commonwealth is well known but her majesty has a special and enduring bond with the ruling families of the Gulf.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan went to London for her Coronation in 1953 – although there is no evidence that the two Rulers met. However, in 1961, on his first visit to London, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum struck up a friendship with the queen.
Then, in February 1979, the queen and Prince Philip made their first state visit to the UAE when her majesty and the founding father, Sheik Zayed, formed an instant rapport.
As Zaki Nusseibeh, the President’s official translator, observed, “There were never any awkward moments, which are always the concern of a translator. They always found it easy to talk to each other, and not only about politics but family, horses and agriculture”.
The queen stayed on the royal yacht Britannia, which was docked in Port Rashid. She opened the Dubai Municipality building and the Dubai World Trade Centre, the tallest building in the Middle East. She turned on the tap at a Dubai desalination plant and unveiled a plaque officially opening Jebel Ali Port. The nation was not quite seven. As one of the queen’s biographers, Robert Hardman, wrote, it was “a poignant reminder of how far she goes back in the memory of this young country”.
A decade later, in July 1989, Sheikh Zayed was invited by the queen to Windsor, the first state visit from the UAE. In June 2003, Sheikh Khalifa, as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, made an official visit to the United Kingdom where His Highness was received by the queen at Buckingham Palace.
In November 2010, they honoured their old friend at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and reaffirmed the 1971 Treaty of Friendship. The queen also honoured Sheikh Khalifa, Sheikh Zayed’s son and successor, by now President, with the prestigious Knight Grand Cross of the Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB). She in turn was honoured with the Order of Zayed.
In April 2013, it was Sheikh Khalifa’s turn to make a state visit and His Highness was received at Windsor Castle amid all the pomp and ceremony that the British can muster; yet at the state banquet, with the Queen on one side and the Duke of York on the other, it was, too, a lunch with friends. This was the Queen’s 104th state visit since her accession. This year she may host her 110th state visit, welcoming the 45th president of the United States.
The coolness, sagacity and restraint of Elizabeth II have been matched by her constancy and diligence – day in and day out, for 65 years – a model constitutional monarch. It is impossible to imagine that this could be matched in this, or any other, century.
artslife@thenational.ae
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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
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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.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Superpower%20
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Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
