Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum has won popularity at home for his thrill-seeking pursuits, from leading mass-participation runs and cycle events to scaling the city’s Burj Khalifa tower.
His younger brother Sheikh Maktoum keeps a lower profile, preferring to eschew the limelight as he cultivates the image of an astute technocrat.
Dubai’s ruling family is counting on the brothers’ different qualities to maintain the development of an emirate that has evolved over the decades from an entrepôt port to a global trade, tourism and financial centre.
Their abilities are moving more into focus as their father, Dubai ruler and United Arab Emirates prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, gradually steps back from frontline decision-making. The 75-year-old is now regularly photographed walking with a cane, as the ground is prepared for the eventual succession of Hamdan.
“Sheikh Mohammed’s still in the driver’s seat,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a Dubai-based political scientist. “But the co-pilots have taken more responsibility.”
Hamdan, 41, and Maktoum, 40, were in their 20s when they were appointed heir apparent and deputy ruler respectively, with a view to eventually taking over the day-to-day running of Dubai from their father.
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