How Qatar bought Britain

‘Qatar laying ownership claim to London’s future’:

UK: Qatar is one of the few countries able to do business and talk politics with almost anyone today. Its advocates say it is in an ideal position to help reshape the Middle East. Thanks to oil and gas, Qatar is now the world’s richest country based on per capita income. Its 1.7 million population enjoyed economic growth of 20 per cent in 2011, one of the fastest worldwide.

Creeping steadily above the London skyline, the Shard will be Europe’s tallest building when it is finally finished in a few weeks’ time- an extraordinary monument made of glass, steel and sheer ambition.

And an appropriate symbol for the rise of its Qatari owners and their ever-growing influence here in Britain.

From the ruins of the financial crisis, this tiny Gulf state has snapped up a range of famous British assets, and if you were to take a look from the upper storeys of the Shard, quite a few would be in view. To the east, Qatar owns swathes of the Canary Wharf financial district through its majority holding in Songbird Estates plc.

duous in courting the Qatari leader, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his glamorous wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned.

On a state visit to the UK last year, the Emir and his royal consort were pictured with the Queen and Prince Philip. The couple were treated to a stay at Windsor Castle and given the full charm offensive.

The consort, or Sheikha, proved a charmer in her own right. The second of the Emir’s three wives, she won over Prince Philip as well as London’s fashionistas who claimed that her ‘Gulf chic’ was ‘two parts Jackie O, one part Carrie Bradshaw’.

In fact, the two royal families have excellent relations.

Daily Mail