Dubai ruler Sheikh Maktoum looks glum as he arrives in Scottish Highlands with 60-car convoy to celebrate his 77th birthday

Dubai’s ruler looked dejected as his convoy of 60 vehicles arrived in the Scottish Highlands to celebrate his 77th birthday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has arrived at the 63,000-acre Inverinate Estate near the seaside village of Kyle in Lochalsh ahead of his birthday next week.

The royal, who has served as prime minister of the United Arab Emirates since 2006, was seen with a stern expression at Inverness airport, but later appeared more cheerful as he went for a walk with relatives and friends.

Sheikh Maktoum has owned the property, which consists of three large houses, a country house, two hostels and three helipads, for more than 20 years.

There are also three helicopters and several Range Rovers permanently stationed on site for the private use of guests and staff alike.

The 590 residents of Kyle of Lochalsh were made fully aware of the royal visit after a convoy of 20 Range Rovers and an incredible 30 Mercedes-Benz passenger carriers packed with staff and security arrived at the village hall.

‘I’ve never seen so many vehicles with tinted windows or so much security,’ one resident said.

‘The Sheikh himself doesn’t come around very often, but in recent years he has shared his love of mountain hiking and boating on Instagram. I think that’s what he’ll do this time, but he’ll have an entourage to accompany him.’

The sheikh appeared more cheerful after arriving at his estate and was seen on an all-male parade with relatives and friends.

In April last year the billionaire was given planning approval to build at least a ninth house on the site.

Locals said the area now looked more like a ‘small village’ dominating the entire coastline.

The sheikh, who is said to have at least six wives and nearly 30 children, was given permission to build an 11-bedroom mansion and another five-bedroom house in 2024.

He submits all applications to Highland Council through his company, Smech Properties Ltd. He did it through.

With such a large entourage, Transport Scotland is concerned about the wear and tear on local roads caused by the large number of vehicles used for trips to the sheikh’s Highland hideout and has requested details of how often the sheikh and his royal entourage plan to visit to determine what the ‘cumulative traffic impact’ will be!

But the sheikh’s agents said: ‘As with existing lodges, the majority of property visits are by bus or helicopter, supported by a fleet of six 4×4 cars for shooting parties/visits.

‘No recorded data is available on the frequency or duration of visits.’

Inverinate Manor, which the Sheikh has owned for 20 years, includes three large houses, a country house, two cottages and three helipads, with three helicopters and several Range Rovers permanently stationed on the property.

But his withdrawal developments did not come without error from council planners. In November, the billionaire monarch who installed solar panels on his remote property without planning approval was granted retrospective permission.

Sheikh Maktoum applied to the Plateau Council for backdated permission to make various changes to the Inverinate Estate.

The UAE prime minister has poured the bulk of his £14.6bn fortune into improving his Wester Ross property.

A freedom of information request revealed that Inverinate Estate is one of the most frequent private domestic flight destinations from Inverness Airport.

The data shows three arrivals and four departures to Abu Dhabi in the UAE, along with 29 departures and 42 arrivals from the region in the last three years.

However, it is believed that the sheikh only visits occasionally.

Sheikh Maktoum derives most of his income from real estate and has been described as ‘one of the world’s most prominent property developers’.