Dinner without the Sheikh

Whilst visiting a friend in Bahrain a while back, she suggested we spend time at Sakhir Beach. As an avid lover of the sun and all things seaside, I didn’t need to be asked twice. A few swims later and caked in oil, we were interrupted by a very well dressed young man. He said that the King had spotted us, from his nearby palace and wanted to invite us for tea. Stunned and looking decidedly underdressed for a royal engagement, we followed the boy the short distance to the palace.

What an incredible afternoon we had with an exceptionally charming person. Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa made us feel extremely welcome by providing tea and pastries. As we were sporting flip-flops, sundresses and salty hair, he proceeded to roll up his trousers and join in on the dress-down. He was fascinated in meeting the tourists who visited the beach and was genuinely interested in us. The sheikh shared that sadly his wife was in a hospital in Switzerland but hoped she would be home in a few days.

A few hours of easy talk passed and the Sheikh invited us to dinner, so gratefully my friend and I accepted his generous offer. He arranged for limousines to collect us and took us to a beautiful restaurant in Manama, the capital. When we arrived, he had left a message to apologise that an emergency had arisen and was unable to attend but he ensured we were constantly served with champagne and delicious food all night.

A nostalgic recollection of an amazing experience accompanied by the dulcet tones of Charlene singing ‘I’ve never been to me’!