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Sheikh Mohammed recalls pain of losing his mother

Dubai - "I remember the last time I saw my mother before she left for England for treatment. I kissed her, hugged her and held her hand."

In the sixth chapter titled 'Latifa 3' from his latest book, Qissati, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, recalls the pain he felt after losing his mother, Sheikha Latifa. He talks about the gift he wanted to give her and how he couldn't. 
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"I loved my mother, Sheikha Latifa, and she loved me. Like all children do, I assume that I was her favourite child. One of the greatest things about mothers is that every child thinks she loves him the most.
"As she grew older, I was keen to make her happy. I would always bring back a gift for her whenever I came back from a trip abroad. Seeing her happy made me happy, too; her smile always make my day.
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"In May 1983, I lost my mother, my beloved, the sight of my eyes. And my father lost his life companion, his love and his friend after sharing more than 40 years with her. My father lost my mother, who never let anyone but her make his breakfast.
He used to visit the projects after dawn and then return home to have his breakfast with her and talk to her. Who would make his breakfast after her? And to whom he would talk?
"I remember the last time I saw my mother before she left for England for treatment. I kissed her, hugged her and held her hand.
"I thought a lot about what to give her when she came back. I decided to gift her my watch as she really liked it. I think she wanted a part of me with her. However, I couldn't give her that gift as she never returned.
"It was a big funeral. Thousands cried for having lost the mother of Dubai.
"As they lowered her body to the grave, I climbed down, too. I bid farewell to her with tears that refused to stop. As I started to climb back up, my watch fell into the grave. I looked at her and my watch beside her. A part of me was with her.
In what he is calling his "incomplete biography", His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has broken his latest book, Qissati (My Story), into 50 chapters, narrating 50 stories in his 50 years of serving the nation. Khaleej Times got a signed copy of the book from the Dubai Ruler and everyday, we will be featuring excerpts from each of the 50 chapters.