Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s farewell gesture to driver in New Delhi after BRICS Summit goes viral: ‘Beautiful gesture’

A brief farewell gesture by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has won praise online after a video showed him turning back to greet the Indian driver who had taken him around New Delhi during his visit for the BRICS Summit.

Sheikh Khaled appears to have already begun walking towards his aircraft when he turns around and goes back to the driver to greet him. (Credits: ANI & Reuters)In the video that is going viral on social media, Sheikh Khaled appears to have already begun walking towards his aircraft when he turns around and goes back to the driver to greet him. He shakes the driver's hand and goes ahead to board his flight home.

The gesture quickly caught netizens' attention, with users on social media praising the Crown Prince for showing respect and gratitude towards the person assigned to drive him during his visit.

“Another reason why UAE wins hearts,” X user Earning Sikka wrote, describing the moment as a “beautiful gesture” and saying Sheikh Khaled “went beyond the official farewell” to personally return and greet his driver.

“The Abu Dhabi crown prince didn’t forget to bid adieu to the driver who took him around during the summit,” user Hrishikesh Shinde posted. “It’s these unsung heroes who are the first impression of the country.”

The video emerged after Sheikh Khaled attended the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where he represented UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He met other world leaders on the sidelines of the Summit, including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

A day after his meeting with the Crown Prince, Pezeshkian said that Iran and the UAE had agreed to “put the past behind us and look to the future”, according to HT. The meeting came amid tensions in West Asia and ahead of planned talks involving Iran, Gulf states and Iraq in Oman.

Sheikh Khaled also met PM Modi, where the two leaders discussed ways to deepen India-UAE cooperation in defence, artificial intelligence, space, critical minerals, energy, food security and connectivity, as reported by HT.

Modi described India-UAE ties as a symbol of “stability, prosperity and peace” at a time of uncertainty in West Asia. The two sides also explored ways to increase investments by Emirati entities, including the UAE’s new sovereign investment fund, L’Imad.

The Crown Prince’s farewell gesture has now added a more personal moment to a visit otherwise marked by high-level diplomatic meetings.

A report by Gulf News, published on September 13, said Sheikh Khaled turned back while heading towards his aircraft to personally shake hands with the driver. The report described the moment as an expression of gratitude and humility.

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