'I felt very important': UAE residents recall shaking hands with King Charles III

With tomorrow's coronation making headlines around the world, those who have had the golden chance to meet British royals relive the once-in-a-lifetime experience

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Fri 5 May 2023, 7:35 PM

Last updated: Tue 9 May 2023, 2:40 PM

There's nothing special about a handshake — well, unless you're shaking the hand of a king. Some UAE residents were lucky enough to have done so with King Charles III and, with the world talking about his coronation tomorrow, these expats couldn't help but look back on their very own royal encounters.

British expat Sharon Percy said she could clearly remember feeling "very important" on the day she met King Charles, who was then still holds the title 'prince'. She was also able to greet the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, as well as Camilla, Charles' wife.

It was a garden party at Buckingham Palace, said Percy, who teaches at The English College. “I had a royal invite as I was the guest of a relative who is a serving member of the Royal Family...I really enjoyed being part of such a gathering."

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King Charles III will be crowned tomorrow alongside Queen Consort Camilla in a ceremony that will be held at Westminster Abbey in London. The coronation will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The coronation will begin at 2pm (UAE time) on Saturday, and the festivities will continue through the weekend as well as on Monday, which is a public holiday in Britain. Charles, who became heir apparent to the British throne at the age of 3, is 74 and will become the 40th reigning monarch crowned in there since 1066.

A handshake to remember

Another British expat, Helen Mercer, also has memories of shaking the king’s hand in Kuwait in February 1997 while she was living there.

“He came aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia to Kuwait during one of its final trips,” said Mercer, who works as learning support assistant at The English College.

“He came on the dockside to greet people by shaking their hands. The band of the Royal Marines played in the background, performing Beating Retreat.”

Beating Retreat has its origins in the early years of organised warfare, when the beating of drums and the parading of Post Guards heralded the closing of camp gates and the lowering of flags at the end of the day.

Missed opportunity

Dubai resident Ayesha said she narrowly missed the chance to meet King Charles in 1996.

“That year, several GEMS schools took some of their students to meet the then Prince Charles for a tea party,” she said. “I was nine at the time and was selected to go but my parents felt I was too young to be travelling alone, so a friend of mine got the chance.”

However, Ayesha said she was hoping to catch the coronation along with her children on TV this weekend.

“My children both go to a British school and they had coronation-related activities so they are very excited about it,” she said. “So we will probably watch the ceremony together. My daughter even baked shortbread cookies for the occasion.”

Tea party

Dubai's floating hotel QE2 — which used to be a luxury cruise liner close to British royals' hearts — is preparing to host viewing parties on Saturday for the ceremony. On Friday, it was the venue for a very special tea party. It was organised by Visit Britain in association with Chef Vineet Bhatia, who was bestowed with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) late last year.

The nine-course party served some of King Charles III's most-loved dishes and even included a course called 'His Majesty’s Favourites'. It included wild mushroom risotto and Arabic coffee-glazed lamb.

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