This month, there were the annual functions in the British Embassy in Riyadh, the British Consulate-General in Jeddah and the British Trade Office in Al Khobar to celebrate the Official Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. This is always a high-profile event on the diplomatic and expatriate social calendar, and leading members of the local community are also invited. Queen Elizabeth was born on 21st April 1926 so this year was her 85th birthday. She usually spends her birthday privately at Windsor Castle with family and friends and like other British Sovereigns before her, celebrates her official birthday in June when the weather is better. British embassies and consulates throughout the world usually hold their celebrations either near the date of her actual birthday (as they do here in Saudi Arabia) or at the time of the Queen's official birthday in the UK. =The decision as to which date to use usually depends on local weather conditions. The British Ambassador, Sir Tom Phillips KCMG, ensured that he attended all three functions held in Saudi Arabia, and the Consulate General in Jeddah, Kate Rudd, was also present. The guest of honour was Ambassador Muhammad Tayeb from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his speech, Sir Tom expressed his pride at being British: “For me, there's something wonderful about representing my country, and the values which Britain at its best can represent – toleration, moderation, and an understated sense of humour, plus an interest in the rest of the world which perhaps comes naturally to a small trading nation which has always needed to do business beyond its borders. It is a real honor to have been given the job of pursuing British interests in this part of the world, to ensure that relations between our two Kingdoms are in good working order and that Saudi Arabia's concerns and perceptions are well understood by my government.” He also thanked the sponsors for the evening, all of whom have a special connection with the UK: Haji Hussein Alireza and Co who had the beautiful new four-door Aston Martin Rapide on display; Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Group who had brought a Jaguar and a Rolls Royce, both well-recognized symbols of British motoring; Halwani Audio visual Productions who had set up the light show with the various British flags projected onto the Consulate walls, as well as a continual show of British life on TV monitors on the stage; and Aggreko who provided the power. They will also be the main power provider for the London 2012 Olympics. A British military brass band had also been flown out under the leadership of Warren Officer Class 2 Neil Atkinson: “I am the band Sergeant Major and I have brought over a five piece brass group to play at the QBP,” he explained. “We have been to Dammam, Riyadh and now we are finishing our tour here in Jeddah. We are going back to UK in about 24 hours time after a very successful tour. I have never been to Saudi Arabia before, so this was a rare opportunity. It has been absolutely fascinating, seeing and meeting the people, and a chance to enjoy everything about Ambassadorial life.” Most of the Brass group have served in either Afghanistan, in Iraq or the First Gulf War. “We do our bit when we are called to do so,” W02 Atkinson continued. “Sometimes we take our instruments, or we go as individuals to do a role that the army needs us to do. Music is our main effort for the British Army and the general public really. We play at Freedom Parades, Medal Parades, and Dinner Nights for the Officers. I am a french horn player, and we have got two trumpet players, one trombone, and one chap who plays the tuba.” Several Scottish expatriates took the opportunity to wear their magnificent kilts and sporons, the national dress of Scotland. Another young couple had fun sitting in a Rolls Royce for the very first time. For everyone, it was a chance to celebrate being British and enjoy sharing this in a multi-cultural environment. The evening closed with the lowering of the Union Flag by Captain Colin Raynor and Major Alan Carmichael to the sound of “Sunset” being played on the trumpets. From a British expatriate's point of view, one of the most enjoyable elements of the evening was a chance to socialize with members of the Saudi community – something that rarely happens for most of us. Several people commented on the unusual head-gear of a young man there who turned out to be half American (his mother), and half Saudi (his father) and he said the headdress was the traditional Hejazi way of wearing a shamagh. He was with his beautiful young Saudi wife, and three other friends. After spending a thoroughly enjoyable twenty minutes talking to them, I left wishing that we had much more social contact with Saudis.
