The Shard developer says London 'owes a debt' to Qatar Qatar has invested an estimated £20bn in the UK over the last few years and is a major shareholder in scandal-hit bank Barclays. However, Sheikh Hamad said Qatar is planning further investment into the UK. "We are committed and believe in investing in your country," he said. There continues to be a lot of problems in the world economy that will show who is weak and who is strong, and we will show that we are a strong partner. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, also praised the Qatari's backing and the skyscraper development itself. "I'm extremely pleased to see that this is going to give this quarter of London a huge new boost," the Duke said. I hope that the people who will come and work here and live around here will truly appreciate not only the hard work that the entire team have put together, but also they'll recognise the relationship and investment that has been put in by both the UK and Qatar. I'm sure that we would all be extremely glad if this could be repeated in a number of other areas across the UK. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said the inauguration marked a "great day" for London. "It is an exclamation mark that London and Britain are open for business," Mr Johnson said. The Mayor also dismissed critics of the skyscraper who claim it is a vulgar blot on London's historic skyline. That was what Charles Dickens said in 1836 about what? Big Ben. Nobody would tear down the Houses of Parliament now, well not for architectural reasons.