DUBAI: Shaikh Khalid Bin Sultan, son of ruler of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates has died on Monday in London. He was 39.
Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, his father, expressed his sorrow in an Instagram post saying Khalid is “in the care of God.”
“Khalid was praised for his tenacious yet sensitive exploration of social-political issues, particularly pertaining to the Middle East and its sometimes strained relationship with the West, a subject very close to his heart and upbringing,” said the Instagram statement.
“His goal was to create ‘a world of beautifully crafted products infused with cultural, social and political undertones to inform and inspire’,” it added.
According to London police, his death is being treated as unexplained.
The funeral prayers was held at 9:00 am on Wednesday at King Faisal Mosque in the emirate that was attended by tens of thousands of mourners.The funeral will be followed by three days of official mourning across the UAE.
According to reports, Shaikh Khalid, the Crown Prince and sole surviving son of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi was a fashion designer and owner of British clothing chain Qasimi. He had shown collections at London and Paris Fashion weeks.
According to a friend – who did not want to be named, Sheikh Khalid was “very talented, incredibly smart” and “incredibly passionate about human rights”.
“He loved life, very outgoing,” the friend added. “A very kind and generous person as well.
“He didn’t care too much about ego – he could have, but he didn’t,” reported BBC.
The UK-educated designer’s death comes 20 years after his older brother who died of a drug overdose at age 24 at the family’s residential property in Sussex.