Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVIII

discerning and wealthy members of society. One of the earliest references to tea appears in the famous diary of Samuel Pepys, who wrote in September 1660: “I did send for a cup of tee, (a China drink) of which I had never had drunk before.” Yet it was not until the 1830s that the idea of afternoon tea as a separate meal began. Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, is credited with first making afternoon tea into a formal social occasion, to which one would wear one’s best tea dress and set the table with the finest bone china. Complaining of experiencing hunger in the gap between luncheon and dinner – which had shifted to a fashionably late hour – the duchess began inviting her friends to enjoy tea and a light refreshment in her rooms at Woburn Abbey. She continued the practice upon returning to London and the afternoon tea became an increasingly fashionable ritual among the social hostesses of the upper classes. Now, of course, this wonderful and quintessentially British tradition carries on, with an added dash of Emirati splendour, in the Tennis at The Palace. Ladies’ Evening Next on the agenda, there was a very special Ladies’ Evening. Inspired by the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shaikha Bint Mohammad Bin Khalid Al Nahyan, an exclusive Ladies’ Evening was held (with female- only staff) to welcome esteemed female visitors. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy both a ladies’ singles match and a mixed doubles match featuring four former Wimbledon champions in Pat Cash, Richard Krajicek, Marion Bartoli and Jana Novotna. One of the weekend’s many incredible highlights, the Ladies’ Event, paired world class tennis and world class hospitality – and all with an underlying focus on fashion! Her Highness Sheikha Shaikha is one of the leading supporters of tennis in the UAE and is known for her involvement in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Saeed binHamdan Al Nahyan Tennis Tournament for Emirati women, and under her patronage, the Ladies’ Evening is sure to become an unmissable event in the years to come. As Her Highness Sheikha Shaikha commented: “The beauty of tennis is that it is a sport for a lifetime for everyone, not just professional athletes. It is growing increasingly popular in the UAE, with the addition of a number of initiatives that promote women’s participation in the sport, helping them lead healthy and active lives.’’ Vicky Collins, Tournament Director for the event, added: “It is a great honour that ‘Fortnum&Mason presents Tennis at The Palace’ is held under the Patronage of Sheikha Shaikha and specific elements have been designed with this in mind. Encouraging ladies to play tennis is extremely important to me and I hope by having two former Wimbledon ladies’ champions playing at the event it will encourage a number of our esteemed female guests to pick up a racket and experience tennis!’’ Left to right the players with Holger Schroth GM Emirates Palace, HMA Philip Parham, Khalifa Faraj Bin Hamoodah, Mohamed Jihad Abdelghani, Vicky Collins, Duncan Frazer Younes El Aynaoui vs Richard Krajicek