Photos: Sheikh Mohammed stuns diners in Dubai restaurant

Dubai - It's not everyday you dine with the Dubai ruler

For diners in Madinat Jumeirah seeing His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, while they were eating out during the weekend was quite a surprise.

Check out these photos from Khalifa Saeed's Instagram posts, who was there with Sheikh Mohammed.

Stunned diners were seen snapping photos of the Dubai ruler.

Sheikh Mohammed and his entourage also went for a walk right beside the Burj al Arab, with the posh hotel exterior displayed proudly in the background.

These photos just show that UAE rulers don't shy away from getting in touch with their residents. So get your phones ready, because you never know when you'll get a royal photo opportunity.

Also read: Five occasions when Sheikh Mohammed showed he is the 'People's Ruler'

Sheikh Mohammed is not only known to drive around Dubai without much protocol but interacts with residents at events and public gatherings - and even 'photobombs' them!

Here are five moments when he showed that he is indeed the 'people's ruler':

THE TIME WHEN A CUTE EMIRATI GIRL MIMICKED SHEIKH MOHAMMED

Last year, Sheikh Mohammed met an adorable Emirati girl, whose video of her 'mimicking' one of his speeches, went viral.

This time, Muhra Ahmed Al Shehi even got to imitate his speech in front of one of the most loved Arab leaders in the world.

Sheikh Mohammed retweeted a video - of the little girl mimicking one of the lines he previously said in a speech, and expressed his desire to meet her.

"This little girl impressed me, god bless her. I want to visit her, does anyone know who she is?" said Sheikh Mohammed's tweet.

Sheikh Mohammed also tweeted about his meeting with the little viral star, calling her the 'queen of children:

"With my daughter Muhra Al Shehi - an emirati angel and the queen of children"

Watch the original video of the girl's imitation skills here.

THE TIME HE HELD A MIC FOR A YOUNG BOY AS HE RECITED A POEM

In an Instagram video posted last year, Sheikh Mohammed obliged a young Arab boy, after he requested to recite a poem for him.

The generous leader not only heard his recitation patiently, but held the mic for him all the while.

The incident took place when Sheikh Mohammed was attending a horse racing event.

THE TIME SHEIKH MOHAMMED MADE A SURPRISE VISIT TO DUBAI AIRPORT

The Ruler is known to make surprise visits to government offices and public places to ensure that employees and officials are offering quality service to consumers and in this case - passengers.

Earlier in 2016, Sheikh Mohammed made one of his surprise visits early in the morning to check if employees were on time and attending to passengers at Dubai airport.

While he walked around with his team, the Ruler was seen interacting with people as well as employees working at the counter.

The Dubai Media Office even came to the defence of an airport worker - after a photo went viral - and was thought to be 'busy on his smartphone' instead of attending to a passenger - while Sheikh Mohammed watched over from outside the counter.

The Time When Sheikh Mohammed 'surprised' An Egyptian Actress

In October, a video went viral showing the charismatic leader, giving Egyptian actress Ghada Abdelrazak a casual tap on the shoulder. The video garnered millions of views in a few days.

The chance encounter reportedly took place at Dubai's Souk Al Bahar when Sheikh Mohammed came up to greet the award-winning actress.

The quick conversation ended with the Ruler saying goodbye to Ghada with a jovial pat on the back.

THE TIME WHEN THE DUBAI RULER 'PHOTOBOMBED' AN EMIRATI'S VIDEO SELFIE

It's not everyday when an Emirati or expat gets to meet one of the most dynamic leaders in the Arab world, but one lucky Emirati had an encounter with the Ruler that she will never forget.

This video that went viral was recorded by an Emirati woman at a recent event. The Ruler surprised her by suddenly walking away from his team and entering the frame of her video selfie - showing once again that he has quite a sense of humour.

Sheikh Mohammed has always maintained that for a prosperous and stable state, the leaders need to listen to the people and interact with them.

The Ruler has always put people first, Emiratis and expats, and continues to be one of the most active heads of the state in the region.

Even on social media, he is one of the most followed leaders in the world, with millions of followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

(Curated by Keith Perena, Yousuf Saifuddin Kapadia)

• UAE
• Dubai