Guests jostle to snap selfies with the beaming ruler-in-waiting flanked by dozens of local officials. The royal works the room with the ease of an Instagram celebrity who’s used to mixing with superstars like footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
A few meters behind him, blending into the crowd at an event in the Dubai Expo earlier this year, stood another man who may be less conspicuous in the city’s social scene yet whose impact is winning praise from foreign investors while keeping executives at government-run companies on their toes.
As their 73-year-old father, the ruler of Dubai, hands them more responsibility, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, 39, and brother Sheikh Maktoum, 38, have each carved out a niche. They face the task of safeguarding Dubai’s status as the Middle East’s pre-eminent business hub amid competition from regional rivals and international scrutiny following Russia’s war on Ukraine.
