UNITED KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE

London, July 13, 2026. The death of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former emir of Qatar, at the age of 74, resonates in the United Kingdom from a unique perspective: that of a partner whose imprint can be seen in the streets of the British capital. King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid an official tribute, praising "years of distinguished service" rendered to Qatar by the late sovereign, whose "leadership, vision, and commitment to the well-being of the Qatari people were widely admired, both in Qatar and around the world," according to the statement relayed by the BBC.

For the British press, the story of Sheikh Hamad is told first through the symbols he left in London. The Independent recalls that Qatar owns the iconic department store Harrods, a jewel of London commerce acquired during his reign, and that he founded Al Jazeera, the satellite channel that revolutionized the Arab media landscape. These investments, the daily newspaper emphasizes, have made the British capital one of the main showcases of Qatari financial power, built in less than a generation from the country's gas reserves.

After seizing power in June 1995 through a bloodless coup against his own father, Sheikh Khalifa, who was abroad at the time, Sheikh Hamad transformed a small Gulf state into a major diplomatic and economic player. His voluntary abdication in June 2013, in favor of his son Tamim, is presented by the British press as a rare gesture in the region, breaking with the tradition of successions imposed by force or death.

However, British articles do not hide the dark areas of this reign: Qatar's contested bid to host the 2010 World Cup, as well as its close ties with Iran, Hamas, and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which have sometimes strained Doha's relations with its Western and regional allies. Al Jazeera itself, praised for its break with the deferential tone of traditional Arab media, is also described as having been accused of bias in serving the interests of Qatari leaders.