Royalty in the News

The brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Abu Dhabi, was laid to rest on Wednesday. In accordance to Muslim tradition, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was buried a day after his body was recovered from a Moroccan lake where the glider he was flying in crashed on Friday.

Reuters/WAM/Handout

In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh’s body was brought into Sheikh Zayed Mosque on a stretcher with the UAE flag covering it. Ahmed’s brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, along with an imam, led the prayers during the funeral. The mosque is the same one built by Ahmed’s father, and it is where his father lies.

Afterwards, the stretcher was carried out of the mosque and brought to an ambulance. The vehicle than drove away to bury Sheikh Ahmed in a nearby cemetery.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalifa received condolences from the rulers of the other emirates and government officials.

Since the death of his brother, Khalifa has received condolences cables from all over the world, including King Mohammed VI of Morocco, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, and King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Now the question is what will become of Sheikh Ahmed’s Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world’s largest sovereign fund. TIME magazine is reporting that there will be power struggle between the Sheikh’s 17 brothers, especially with Crown Prince Mohammed’s powerful clique. The magazine says Ahmed’s ADIA was one area in Abu Dhabi’s economy not controlled by Mohammed. Christopher M. Davidson, senior lecturer at Durham University and author of Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond, suggests the Crown Prince and his brothers are likely to move on ADIA. “Then they will control virtually all of Abu Dhabi’s economy,” he told TIME.

Reuters/WAM/Handout

Davidson also says that the Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, may put his hopes on son-in-law, Sheikh Mansour, who is one of the Crown Prince’s full brothers. “Dubai will be hoping that whoever replaces [Sheikh Ahmed] will be someone who is more open to assisting Dubai, rather than this drip-feed of financial assistance Abu Dhabi has been giving Dubai, little by little, humiliating them every step of the way,” Davidson said.

But at the same time, one of Ahmed’s full blooded brothers may succeed him, particularly elder brother Saif, who is the Interior Minister. Also, Sheikh Khalifa might want to place one of his own sons in charge of ADIA.