Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
He took the throne on 24 October 1960 after his father, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani, abdicated in his favor. Sheikh Ahmad then assumed throne and became the emir through the final years of dependency, overseeing the nation's independence from Great Britain in 1971. Sheikh Ahmad attended numerous royal coronations, including the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in 1953. On the same day his reign began, his cousin Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was appointed as the heir apparent and deputy ruler. On 22 February 1972 Sheikh Khalifa deposed him. During the incident, Sheikh Ahmad was in Iran on a hunting trip. After his deposition, Sheikh Ahmad lived in exile in Dubai with his wife, the daughter of the late Ruler of Dubai and children, in that emirate.