UAE leaders receive top UK honours

After the red carpet welcome, Queen Elizabeth and Shaikh Khalifa proceeded to the dais of honour where the British royal anthem was played as the Artillery fired 21 rounds to salute the Queen who then inspected a Guard of Honour.

Shaikh Khalifa conferred on Queen Elizabeth the Order of Zayed, the United Arab Emirates’ highest civil decoration. He also bestowed the Order of Federation to both Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In return, the Queen presented Shaikh Khalifa with the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, GCB.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on May 18, 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medival ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one of its elements.

The Queen also honoured Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, with Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, GCMG.

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on April 28, 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III.

Queen Elizabeth conferred these orders in recognition of the deep historic relations of friendship between the UAE and UK.

Accompanied by Shaikh Khalifa, the Queen shook hand with Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President’s Representative, Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Speaker of Federal National Council, Shaikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler‘s Representative in the Eastern Region, Shaikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser, Shaikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative, Lt.-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Shaikh Dhiyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority (ADEWA), Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Shaikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Shaikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Etihad Airways, Dr. Shaikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Executive Council Member , Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Finance Department, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, Dr. Shaikh Saeed bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Shaikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, Executive Council Member, Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), and a number of other Shaikhs, senior civilian and military officials.—