Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic: الشيخ راشد بن محمد آل مكتوم‎‎, styled HH Sheikh Rashid; 12 November 1981 – 19 September 2015) was the son of United Arab Emirates Vice President, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. At the age of 33, he died, according to the official report, of a heart attack on 19 September 2015.

Biography

Sheikh Rashid was one of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's many children. He was born on 12 November 1981. Rashid was educated in Dubai at the Rashid School for Boys. He then attended Sandhurst Military Academy in the United Kingdom and graduated in 2002.

On 1 February 2008, Rashid was stripped of the title of ″Crown Prince of Dubai″. His father Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum appointed his younger brother Hamdan Crown Prince of Dubai. Quite why this should have happened remained unclear, with the official explanation being that the current incumbent Hamdan was simply better suited to the job. That, however, was not the explanation bandied about in the upper echelons of Emirati society at the time or among the diplomatic community. The reason for the change in succession was revealed in a confidential memo sent from the US consulate in Dubai back to Washington. In the leaked diplomatic cable – published by Wikileaks – acting consul general David Williams wrote: ″It is alleged that Rashid killed an assistant in the Ruler's office, thereby forfeiting his opportunity to be heir.″

In January 2006 Sheikh Rashid was appointed President of the UAE Olympic Committee. However, in 2010 he resigned from his position on account of his overloaded work schedule.

Sheikh Rashid was a principal partner or owner in the following listed companies:

• Tesla, Principal Partner
• Noor Investment Group, Principal Partner
• Noor Bank, Principal Partner
• United Holdings Group Dubai, Owner
• Zabeel Racing International, Owner
• Dubai Holding Company, Principal Partner

• ^ "DUBAI DESIGNATES CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY RULER". Wikileaks. Retrieved 19 September 2015. 
• ^ Alexander Sehmer (24 September 2015). "Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed profile: the Dubai royal kept out of the public spotlight". Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2015. 
• "So what REALLY happened to Dubai's Sheikh Rashid?". Retrieved 28 July 2016. 

Sport

Sheikh Rashid was a well-known sports figure in the UAE. He participated in a number of International and local Equestrian Endurance competitions winning a number of laurels. His greatest achievement was winning two gold medals in the 2006 Asian Games 120 km Endurance individual mixed as well as 120 km Endurance Team Mixed events. He owned Zabeel Racing, the Dubai stables where his horses were trained. Sheikh Rashid led the individual owners list an unprecedented five times with over 428 wins. Sheikh Rashid was also a football fan; his favourite club was Manchester United.

Awards and honors

Sheikh Rashid won two gold medals riding in endurance races at the Asian Olympics in 2006. His personal net worth, as estimated by Forbes magazine in 2010, was approximately $1.9 billion US dollars.

Death

On the morning of 19 September 2015, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed died of a heart attack at the age of 33 according to the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM. A three-day mourning period was declared in Dubai upon his death and the United Arab Emirates flags were flown at half mast Funeral prayers were held after Maghrib prayers at Zabeel Mosque. His burial was held in Bur Dubai's Umm Hurair cemetery.

Ancestry