The footage also shows the Queen praising the late Sheikh Zayed…

Next year is the Year of Zayed, and this week rare footage of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II praising the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at a state dinner in Buckingham Palace has resurfaced on the internet.

Posted to the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre’s Instagram account, the video appears to be from 18 July 1989, when the then-ruler of the UAE visited the UK accompanied by a young H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the now ruler of Dubai.

*ALSO READ: 10 amazing historical photos of the UAE*

You can also spot Sheikh Mohammed walking into the dinner with the late Princess Diana in the clip (last month marked 20 years since Diana’s tragic death, which has seen a resurgence of stories and memories about the charitable princess)…

According to the video’s description, the Queen gave a speech in which she spoke about Sheikh Zayed’s role as one of the senior decision makers in the GCC, heaping praise on the initiatives he set forth to help to bring stability to the region.

She also applauded the work done by the ruler in transforming the UAE, bringing the country into the modern era with a specific focus on the social welfare and education of his people.

Clearly, she was onto something as in the intervening 28 years the policies put in place by Sheikh Zayed have seen the UAE grow from strength to strength as not only one of the most prominent leading members of the GCC but as an example of modern, future-looking countries in the world.

Speaking of HH Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Di, we also love this video from the Dubai ruler’s official YouTube channel that shows the pair (along with Prince Charles) engaged in a casual discussion when the royal couple visited the UAE earlier that same year.

Oh to be a fly on the wall during that chat…

*NOW READ: 9 great quotes from Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE*

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Images: screengrabs