Hamdan honours memory of ‘my dear brother Rashid’
On the second anniversary of his brother’s death, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed paid tribute by sharing a video on Instagram of photos of them together.
Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid, son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, died of a heart attack on September 19, 2015. He was 33 years old.
At the time the Crown Prince of Dubai said: “Today, I lost a best friend and a childhood companion, my dear brother Rashid. You will be missed.”
President Sheikh Khalifa declared three days of mourning across the UAE and flags were lowered to half mast.
Sheikh Hamdan posted the video yesterday, having paid tribute to his brother last year, too.
The video was accompanied with a prayer asking God to forgive his brother of his sins and allow his soul to rest in peace. He hashtagged “A friend of a lifetime”.
Solemn strings provide a background to a montage of photos depicting their shared youth.
In another post he wrote, poetically: “Rashid’s death is my heaviest sorrow, and in his good memory I ask my eyes to honour him with tears.”
Sheikh Rashid was born in Dubai and educated at the Rashid School for Boys, then attended Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK, graduating from there in 2002.
He was an active member of Dubai Cares philanthropic organisation and a well-known sports figure. He played a significant role in advancing sports in the UAE, the Dubai media office said. He was a founding member of Dubai Sports and Cultural Club, of which he was chairman until 2005, when his brother Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed took the position.
Sheikh Rashid was an accomplished equestrian, having participated in international and local competitions and winning laurels for the UAE.
He won two gold medals in the 120-kilometre endurance individual and 120km endurance team mixed events at the 2006 Asian Olympics, which were held in Doha.
He was owner of Zabeel Racing International and led the individual owners list an unprecedented five times with more than 428 wins.