THE late Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch, had strong connections with Bahrain and remained a close friend of the kingdom and its royal family.
Her Majesty The Queen visited Bahrain in February 1979 on an official visit, but her connection with the island began even before she took to the throne on February 6, 1952.
In 1947, the then-Hakim (Ruler) of Bahrain Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa presented the young Princess Elizabeth seven Bahraini pearls as a wedding gift following her nuptials to then-Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, the late Duke of Edinburgh.
Two of these pearls were turned into drop earrings. Each earring featured a large diamond stud, suspended with four smaller diamonds and three baguette diamonds, with the pearl at the bottom.
Throughout the years, Queen Elizabeth frequently loaned the earrings to family members, first to the late Princess of Wales for a Dutch state visit in 1982.
These earrings were worn by the Duchess of Cambridge last year at the funeral of Prince Philip, who served as the consort of the British monarch and passed away on April 9, 2021.
During her 1979 visit to Bahrain, the Queen toured Manama and visited Al Noor Institute for the Blind.
The late Amir HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa met her and Prince Philip during their visit and conferred on her Bahrain’s highest award to a visiting Head of State – the Star of Al Khalifa.
In turn, the Queen conferred on the Amir the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George.
Bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Bahrain date back more than 200 years and those bonds have strengthened over time, none more so than during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Most recently, His Majesty King Hamad was personally invited by Her Majesty to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2022.
The King had previously visited the event featuring international competitions in show jumping, dressage, driving and endurance, in 2019.
On the latest occasion, members of the Bahrain Defence Force’s (BDF) royal guard ceremonial cavalry unit, led by Royal Canadian Mounted Police, escorted the Queen from the arena to Windsor Castle as a live orchestra played and the crowd gave a standing ovation.
The BDF forces also paid homage to Queen Elizabeth during the parade to mark the platinum jubilee of her reign earlier this year.
naman@gdnmedia.com
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