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In March 2023,  Sheikh Hazza lost his long-held position as Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec) deputy chairman but gained the position of deputy ruler. It is not clear what powers or duties this new role will have and some analysts suspect it will be largely ceremonial.

The Qatari ruler was reportedly the first Arab leader to visit Nepal when he landed in Kathmandu on 23 April, following trips to the Philippines and Bangladesh – all of which are an important source of migrant labour and are looking to more economic support from one of their wealthiest partners.

A very substantial element of the UAE political, military and tribal leadership was in Abu Dhabi to attend the UAE Armed Forces’s Hosn Al-Ittihad (Union Fortress) multi-service show (see also Defence and security). Most of those in attendance were noted to be close to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and UAE Armed Forces deputy supreme commander Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ), who was much in evidence during the Idex event.

While Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan is widely assumed to be the next UAE president – only the third in the federation’s brief history – there is slightly more conjecture about who will be next Abu Dhabi crown prince. Most observers expect Hazza Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the third of the Bani Fatima born in 1965, to be MBZ’s successor. Hazza, who is said to be especially close to MBZ, is currently vice chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and national security adviser.

PRINCE MISHAAL: Returns to Riyadh; TURKI BIN ABDELAZIZ: Back from Egypt

The affairs of the late Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, one of the world’s most prominent art collectors who died in November aged 48, are far from settled. The sheikh was known not only for his willingness to spend extravagantly on his extensive and eclectic collections, but also for his debts, which led to court action in 2012. According to Artnet News, the bill for one of the sheikh’s final purchases – a set of rare stamps worth $7.5m bought from David Feldman Stamp Auctions in June – is still unsettled.

Saudi Space Commission (SSC) chairman Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdelaziz is pushing ahead with efforts to develop a viable space industry in the kingdom. The SSC board of directors’ second meeting on 20 April gave the go-ahead for a study on the possible establishment of the Saudi Space Company.

In the latest in an accelerating number of sub-Saharan African (SSA) comings and goings in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe arrived in Doha on 29 April for an official visit, which included a meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani the following day. As is traditional, a number of co-operation agreements were signed, covering areas such as investment protection, legal, economic, trade and technical co-operation.

Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has returned from New York, following medical checks carried out last month; he returned home on 16 October, following a lengthy stay despite a statement by National Assembly speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim in mid-September said he would be home soon.

Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Prince Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie held meetings with a series of senior royals and other political figures on a visit to the UAE which also saw Luxembourg become the first country to formally sign a contract to take part in Dubai’s Expo 2020 event. The Luxembourg delegation included Grand Duchess Stéphanie, deputy prime minister and economy minister Etienne Schneider and ambassador to the UAE Elisabeth Cardoso Jordao.

Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi received an honorary doctorate in urban and regional development from the University of Turin and Polytechnic University of Turin on 4 May. It was presented in recognition of his role in developing Sharjah City by Polytechnic president Professor Guido Saracco.

King Salman Bin Abdelaziz told a gathering of anti-corruption officials, held at his office in Al-Salam palace on 3 June, that no member of the Al-Saud would enjoy immunity from prosecution. “I say now that there are heads of state in other countries that have immunity from lawsuits. In our country, any citizen can bring a lawsuit against the king, or crown prince, or any member of the royal family,” he was quoted as saying by Asharq Al-Awsat. “The rights of citizens are far more important than my own rights.”

King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa arrived in Jordan on 27 August to discuss Syria and bilateral co-operation with King Abdullah II.

On 25 December, deputy culture and information minister Prince Turki Bin Sultan Bin Abdelaziz died.

The wife of Dubai ruler Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein, has made a $500,000 donation to support South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region. Princess Haya, who made the gift via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was appointed chair of Dubai’s International Humanitarian City in 2007, and is also a UN messenger of peace. UNHCR has appealed for $247m to help refugees and those who have been internally displaced by South Sudan’s conflict, but the emergency response is to date only 21% funded.