Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip landed on America’s shores in February 1983 after sailing the Royal Yacht Britannia, which docked at San Diego’s Broadway Pier, across the Atlantic Ocean.
Although she had thought that an official visit to a US president should take place in Washington, then-president Ronald Reagan convinced the queen to go to his home state of California.
The official 10-day tour began with tunes of God Save the Queen, the US national anthem and the roaring cheers of about 3,000 well-wishers.
Before heading north to Los Angeles, the queen and prince visited the world-famous San Diego Zoo, the USS Ranger aircraft carrier and the Old Globe theatre in Bilbao Park.
She then travelled to Los Angeles for a star-studded gala at 20th Century Fox studios, where the M*A*S*H sound stage was transformed into a venue fit for a queen.
Hosted by first lady Nancy Reagan, notable performers who attended included Michael Caine, Elton John, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Irene Dunne, June Allyson and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dionne Warwick and George Burns performed at the gala, while Ed McMahon acted as the evening’s master of ceremonies.
Two days later, the queen was greeted in Los Angeles by the city’s mayor, Tom Bradley.
In a speech at City Hall, she defended Britain’s actions in the Falkland Islands and praised Los Angeles’ diversity and economy.
She even made a joke comparing her northward journey from San Diego to a trip made 400 years ago by Sir Francis Drake, “who [unsuccessfully] claimed this territory as Nova Albion for the first Queen Elizabeth and for the queen’s successors forever”.
She then paid a visit to Reagan’s California ranch near Santa Barbara.
Torrential rains pounded the coastline and almost blocked the queen’s ascent to the mountaintop retreat.
But she finally made it in a Chevy Suburban, which navigated the terrain described by the Los Angeles Times as “a narrow, twisting, steep obstacle course of flooded streams, washed-out sections, downed tree limbs and falling boulders”.
“She found the trip delightful and terribly exciting,” Elizabeth’s press secretary was quoted as saying.
Reagan had been eager to impress her with his 278-hectare Rancho del Cielo and was surprised that the queen was not deterred by the weather.
“They made it up the mountain but when they got to our home, it was so foggy no one could see more than a few feet,” he wrote in his autobiography An American Life.
"I tried to explain how beautiful the place really was and apologised for the weather."
“But the queen said, ‘Yes, if it was just dreary, but this is an adventure'.”
She then ventured a little further north to San Francisco where six floors below the presidential suite of the St Francis Hotel on Union Square (now the Westin St Francis) were cleared to accommodate the royal couple.
The suite has since been renamed the Windsor Suite in honour of the visit.
The royals and the Reagans then had dinner and drinks at Trader Vic’s — the once famous, now-closed Tiki-themed restaurant.
The following day, at Davies Symphony Hall, Tony Bennett regaled the queen with I Left My Heart in San Francisco, alongside actress Mary Martin and young comic Robin Williams.
Reagan then hosted a dinner at the city's MH de Young Museum.
“I knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the United States," the queen said in her dinner speech.
"I had not realised before that weather was one of them."
The visit also coincided with the Reagans' 31st wedding anniversary, which the couple did not mind celebrating with the queen aboard the Britannia.
“There were toasts and I said, ‘I know I promised Nancy a lot when we were married, but how can I ever top this?’” Reagan wrote.
Later that week, a pall was cast on the visit after three US Secret Service agents collided with a Mariposa County Sheriff’s Department car on a curvy California highway.
The agents, who were part of a detail protecting the queen, all died.
if you go
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
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French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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Results
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
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Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
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West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
