The Crown Prince shares a moving video to mark two years since Sheikh Rashid’s passing.
On September 19, 2015, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tragically died of a heart attack.
The royal – and eldest son of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE – was just 33 at the time.
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And now, two years on, his brother has shared a moving social media tribute on the anniversary of his death.
Hashtagging the post “a friend of a lifetime”, Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan uploaded a collage of images of Sheikh Rashid, from the siblings’ early childhood through to adulthood.
At the time of Sheikh Rashid’s sudden death, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa declared three days of mourning across the country, with flags lowered to half mast.
Sheikh Hamdan also shared a second image of the pair, writing: “Rashid’s death is my heaviest sorrow.”
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LOOKING BACK ON SHEIKH RASHID’S LIFE
Like the rest of his family, Sheikh Rashid was a keen horserider, and owned the Zabeel Stables.
He won two gold medals at the 15th Asian games in 2006, one in the 120-kilometre Endurance individual as well as the 120km Endurance team events.
Here he is being congratulated by his father, Sheikh Mohammed, for his achievement.
Sheikh Rashid was also an avid football player and fan, with his favourite team being Manchester United.
Here you can see Sheikh Rashid, along with his father Sheikh Mohammed and two brothers Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Mansour.
A childhood photo showing Sheikh Rashid alongside his two brothers.
Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Rashid both as children and grown ups.
After his brother’s death in 2015, Sheikh Hamdan wrote a heartfelt poem titled My Brother: The Word.
In it, Sheikh Hamdan summed up his relationship with his brother, saying: “Friends are greatly esteemed but can turn on you and sell you – but a brother cannot, for it is a relationship that was never bought.”
Sheikh Hamdan expressed how he longs to hear the words “my brother” be spoken by Sheikh Rashid again.
As he mentions in the poem, “my brother” are the two most beautiful words one can ever hear.
Images: HH Sheikh Hamdan/Instagram
