Ruler of Dubai helps friends stranded in the desert

A woman has thanked the Ruler of Dubai for towing her car out of the sand after she became stranded in the desert.

Hanna Karen Arroyo said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stopped in his white Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and gave her and her friends a hand on Saturday.

"My friend and I got stuck on the desert of Dubai and we got rescued by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid," she wrote on Twitter.

She shared pictures of a young Emirati attaching a tether between the Ruler's car and her Honda Pilot 4x4.

The car appeared to have its front wheels partially stuck in sand just off a two-lane road.

Hanna and her two friends were photographed with Sheikh Mohammed afterwards.

But rescuing those in need has become something of a tradition for the Royal Family.

Last year, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, helped the driver of a tipper lorry who was stranded in the desert.

Sheikh Hamdan and his Mercedes-AMG G63 joined a line of vehicles that moved the tipper lorry out of the rut.

Earlier on Saturday, Sheikh Mohammed attended the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival at Dubai International Endurance City.

Held under the supervision of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, local and international riders competed to claim the title of the 120-kilometre Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup.

Attending the race alongside Sheikh Mohammed was Sheikh Hamdan, Dubai Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, and Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed.

Riding the winning horse ‘Dhahi’, Saeed Mahmoud Al Khiyari clinched the race title in four hours, 20 minutes.