This past week, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited the United Arab Emirates to promote religious tolerance and support women in leadership in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain.
Per usual, Clarence House (the royal couple's official residence) documented the tour on Instagram with a steady stream of photos from their diplomatic engagements.
Here is the Duchess at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital:
And visiting the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, which supports victims of domestic violence:
And looking lovely with Prince Charles:
But one picture in particular stood out from the rest of the #RoyalVisitUAE posts…
The photo (which begs the hashtag #GetInFormation, wouldn't you say?) shows the Duchess as she strolls out of the Emirates Palace Hotel, flanked by her badass-looking all-female protection team. Her entourage included eight total women (five of which are pictured), dressed in traditional hijabs and abayas, who had been handpicked from the UAE's elite presidential guard specifically to accompany the Duchess.
The ladies in the photo are identified in the caption (L-R) as Shaima al Kaabi, Basima al Kaabi, Hannan al Hatawi (behind the Duchess), Nisreen al Hamawi and Salama al Remeithi. All of them boast an impressive set of skills which qualifies them for the job, including intensive training in martial arts and combat techniques. Plus, Shaima, Nisreen and Hannan also conquered Mount Everest earlier this year, enduring the grueling two-week trek to the summit.
The photograph underscores the theme of female empowerment, which the Duchess championed throughout her week-long tour.
'It's fascinating. It is quite extraordinary to have them," Camilla Parker-Bowles told the Daily Mail of the women—or "angels" as she called them. "I have never had four women looking after me [and] they are the most incredible women. The first one had climbed Everest. I said 'how long did it take?' and she said 16 days! It's quite remarkable."
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