The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award secretary general John May (second right) introduces Prof Mushtak to Prince Edward (third right) while British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay (left) looks on.
WHEN a professor meets a prince, what do they talk about? I was considering this as I prepared to host His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex, otherwise known as Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom. HRH was visiting Heriot-Watt University Malaysia at our campus in Putrajaya with several global leaders of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, and it was going to be my task to welcome him and host him during his visit.
It is a great honour to receive a prominent member of the British Royal Family, but also, I confess, a bit of a worry when it comes to preparing conversation topics. After all, HRH and I come from very different backgrounds. I was born in Baghdad to a family of modest means, worlds (and miles) away from Buckingham Palace, where he was born. He lives in Bagshot Park, a 120-room royal residence set in 21 hectares of land; I live in a five-bedroom apartment with no private outside space. My life journey was very different to his; it was going to be fascinating for our paths to cross, even briefly.
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