Dubai: Memories tend to fade after some time. However, for the Britons who lived in the UAE back in 1979, there are some that won't ever fade. In February 1979, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip), paid their first visit to the UAE during a tour of the Gulf.
For the British expatriates who lived in the Emirates at the time, memories of their Queen's visit are still fresh.
In pictures: Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the UAE in 1979
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The day before she arrived, David Burns — then food and beverage manager at Al Ain University — was told he was going to serve the Royal party with tea and coffee. He rushed out and bought a blue velvet jacket and white trousers "which looked awful, but wasn't really too bad", he told Gulf News.
The late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan — who was then the Crown Prince — escorted the Queen and Prince Philip to the university.
Burns, now Chairman of the Royal British Legion in Dubai and Director for HR Consulting, UHY Saxena, remembers exactly what he served as refreshments.
"I went along the line, starting with her [the Queen], and she had red tea with kunafa [an Arabic sweet]. Prince Philip just had ordinary tea, Shaikh Zayed and Shaikh Khalifa had Arabic coffee and then they had some photographs taken," he said.
The Queen commented during the refreshments that she "hadn't had Arabic coffee for a while".
Burns spent 11 years in the army and met a number of Royal family members in the past. Serving her tea, he said "was quite an honour".
However, although Burns' memory is sharp regarding the Royal party's menu, it does falter in other aspects, particularly regarding what the Queen was wearing on her tea break.
"I'm a guy! She was wearing a frock and a hat and white gloves and shoes to match I would think, with a big handbag. But ask me what the colour was, I have no idea," he said.
When Burns first came to the UAE in 1967, the only airport was in Sharjah and there was only one bridge across Dubai Creek. There was also no main road — motorists had to go "over the dunes" to Abu Dhabi, Burns said.
The 1979 Royal Gulf tour started in Kuwait on February 12, going through the UAE and ending in Muscat, Oman, on March 2.
The royal yacht Britannia sailed from Doha to Abu Dhabi, where the Royals were given a tour of the city, including a visit to the Corniche Hospital and the Al Khubairat British School.
Al Ain was the next port of call, where they then flew to Dubai to be met by Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. From the airport they went straight to the new Dubai Municipality building in Deira where the Queen unveiled a plaque. As it was Sunday, the royal couple went to the Holy Trinity Church in Bur Dubai for a Sunday service, where the Duke read the second lesson.
The next morning the royal yacht sailed to Jebel Ali Port, which was formally opened by Her Majesty, followed by a visit to Dubal, where she opened a desalination plant. It was then on to the new Trade Centre where the couple was taken to the top of the tallest building in the Middle East.
Lucky few
They then took a dhow trip on the Creek and took a short walk on the creek side to the British Embassy. The royal yacht Britannia was docked at Port Rashid. A few lucky members of the British community were invited onboard to meet the Queen. Isobel Abulhoul, co-founder of Magrudy's bookshops and founder/director of the Emirates Literature Festival, was one of the lucky few to be invited onboard.
The guests were taken onto the vessel for an evening reception "in a large open area under a canopy…it must have been February, beautiful weather, a starry night", Abulhoul told Gulf News.
She remembers that the Queen circulated throughout the evening and seemed to speak to everyone.
"Because of protocol it's a difficult situation, you can't speak to her until you're spoken to, so it must be tiring for Her Majesty. She seemed to know things about everyone there; she's incredibly gifted…I was incredibly dazzled by what she does," she said, continuing that the monarch is very skilful at making conversation and putting everyone at ease.
What also struck Abulhoul is that the Queen is "stunningly beautiful and petite. She's got brilliant blue eyes and beautiful composure and skin," she said. "There was a palpable sense of majesty about her."
