Royal Baby Alert: Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum and Natalie Lankester Welcome Their Third Daughter
The couple shared the happy news via a post on Instagram
Congratulations to Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, nephew of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai — and Natalie Lankester. The couple announced the safe arrival of their third child on Wednesday evening, a daughter named Maitha.
“1.05.2024 Maitha Bint Rashid Al Maktoum,” the couple wrote in the caption. “We are blessed with the safe arrival of our third daughter, Maitha.”
The family has yet to share any photos of the newest addition to their family.
Natalie met Sheikh Rashid through their shared interest in horses.
Natalie moved to the UAE at the age of 21 and worked at a lighting design company for a couple of years. ”It was during that time that I thought to myself, ‘I need to get back into the horsey scene!’” she told Bazaar Arabia. “I then saw an advertisement for a horse, so I went to try him – and that was it! I was back in thinking, ‘No, this is what I have to do.'”
Soon, Natalie decided to return to her passion for horse riding and met Sheikh Rashid in 2015 at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. The couple wed in 2015 and welcomed their first child, Sheikha Hessa Bint Rashid Al Maktoum, in 2016, followed by their second daughter, Sheikha Alia Bint Rashid Al Maktoum in 2019.
Who is Natalie Lankester, Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum’s Wife?
She’s from the U.K.
Natalie Lankester spent her early years in Saudi Arabia and was raised in Shropshire, England. She started training with horses at an early age under the guidance of her grandmother, who was also a dressage rider.
“It all stemmed from my grandmother,” she told Bazaar Arabia. “She was a dressage rider and had horses at home, so I just grew up around them. She started her first dressage competition quite late in life and she didn’t spread her wings further than the UK. She was just based there and she did well. I started when I was young; we grew up with horses at home.”
She noted how riding took a bit of a backseat around the age of seven, but was able to bring her pony along to boarding school when she was 13.
She’s an accomplished dressage rider.
As a dressage rider, Natalie trains horses to precisely perform a predetermined sequence of movements and maneuvers in a graceful manner. She takes part in competitions that assess the correctness and quality of the the horse’s movements, and the overall harmony between horse and rider.
She’s a true animal lover.
Though it’s obvious she’s passionate about horses, her love of animals doesn’t stop there. Natalie owned her own pet supplies business and currently has eleven dogs at home.
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Photography: Tara Hamilton (@tara.hamilton.photography)
