Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein: The Dubai royal 'hiding in London'

[Abdullah719]

Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, has left her husband - a highly unusual move for a senior royal in the UAE.

The princess is now said to be hiding in a townhouse in central London.

She was conspicuously absent from Royal Ascot this year, despite being an Olympic rider and a regular at races.

Sources told the BBC she was in fear for her life as she prepared for a court battle with her husband.

Growing up
Princess Haya was born in May 1974. Her father was King Hussein of Jordan, and her mother was Queen Alia al-Hussein. She was just three years old when her mother was killed in a helicopter crash in the south of the country.

The current ruler of Jordan, King Abdullah II, is her half-brother.

The princess spent a lot of time in the UK as a child. She was educated at the private, all-girls Badminton School near Bristol, before studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University.

She has previously told interviewers that she has a passion for falconry, shooting and heavy machinery, and she claims to be the only woman licensed to drive heavy trucks in Jordan.

She took up horse riding as a young girl and found a passion for the sport, and in her 20s she pursued a career as a full-time professional equestrian athlete. The highlight of her riding career came when she represented Jordan in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and was her country's flag bearer.

'I am lucky to be close to him'
On 10 April 2004, aged 30, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed - the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai. He was 53 at the time, and Princess Haya was his sixth and "junior" wife. He reportedly has 23 children by his different wives.

Like her, he was keen on horses: he was the founder and owner of Godolphin horse racing stables. The couple were wed in a ceremony in Amman. In the years since, Princess Haya has spoken effusively in public about her relationship with Sheikh Mohammed, painting a picture of perfect family life.

"Every day I am amazed by the things he does," she told Emirates Woman magazine in 2016. "Every single day I thank god that I am lucky enough to be close to him."

But cracks appeared to show last year when Sheikha Latifa, one of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters, tried to flee the country. In a video that spread worldwide, the 33-year-old princess claimed she and her family "did not have freedom of choice" in their lives, and that she had been subjected to abuse.

Sheikha Latifa reportedly escaped the UAE by sea with the help of a Frenchman, but was intercepted by armed men off the coast of India and returned to Dubai. In December, photos were released of her sitting next to the former Irish president Mary Robinson at home in the emirate.

The authorities in Dubai insisted Sheikha Latifa had been "vulnerable to exploitation" and was "now safe in Dubai". At the time, Princess Haya echoed the statement, saying it was "unimaginable that this thing has gone so far from the truth".

But now, just over six months later, sources close to Princess Haya told the BBC that she had discovered disturbing facts about Sheikha Latifa's attempt to flee and been subjected to increasing hostility and pressure from members of her husband's extended family. She reportedly no longer felt safe, and fled to Germany before moving on to the UK.

Her husband has not responded formally to reports about their marriage. He did post on Instagram on 10 June, accusing an unidentified woman of "treachery and betrayal".

Princess Haya is said to be living in an £85 million ($107 million) house in Kensington Palace Gardens, and preparing for a legal battle in the UK's High Court.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48851388

 

[JaDed]

Well daughter and one wife now..will UK take on UAE..

 

[PakLFC]

She just wants to live a normal life. Is fed up of living in houses made of gold yet having no freedom at all. Arab culture is incredibly oppressive.

 

[AdamM97]

Well daughter and one wife now..will UK take on UAE..

The US and it's European allies do sh*t about the gulf countries. Money talks.

 

[troodon]

6th wife and 23 children

Even Royal females are running away from the Arabs.

 

[Nostalgic]

I remember her from back in the early 90s, when she used to represent Jordan in equestrian meets. She wasn’t particularly good, and it was obvious she was part of their team due to her being the King’s daughter. I recall her being thrown off her horse once, after which the beast kicked her. The horse probably couldn’t stand the nepotism either.

Nevertheless, growing up in the Gulf, it wasn’t everyday we got to see an Arab princess in cream breeches riding horses, and she was very pleasing to the eye. And talented or not, I thought she had enough going for her not to end up as the sixth wife of a 69 year old with 23 officially recognized children.

 

[prakash]

On 10 April 2004, aged 30, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed - the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai. He was 53 at the time, and Princess Haya was his <b>sixth and "junior" wife</b>. He reportedly has 23 children by his different wives.

How is it possible? I thought a muslim man can marry a maximum of five women except for Prophet Monhammed (PBUH). How did he end up marrying six women?

 

[Musakhel]

How is it possible? I thought a muslim man can marry a maximum of five women except for Prophet Monhammed (PBUH). How did he end up marrying six women?

Maximum of four , he has obviously divorced some in order to marry again.

 

[Abdullah719]

How is it possible? I thought a muslim man can marry a maximum of five women except for Prophet Monhammed (PBUH). How did he end up marrying six women?

Maximum of four, simultaneously.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

She must have known what she was getting into when she married him.

She was 30 and not some naive teenager. Also she came from a royal family so this wasn’t a new world she was thrown into.

Sorry but when you marry someone 25 years older than you, and who’s had half a dozen wives + 20+ kids then what do you expect life to be like?

It’s also not a coincidence that she’s ended up in London - Sheikh Mohammed has billions of assets here and British family/divorce courts are very generous in such cases.

I felt really sorry for the young princess who tried to escape (and was shamelessly sent back by the Indian government) but as for this lady, well sounds like she’s already landed on her feet.

 

[cricketjoshila]

She must have known what she was getting into when she married him.

She was 30 and not some naive teenager. Also she came from a royal family so this wasn’t a new world she was thrown into.

Sorry but when you marry someone 25 years older than you, and who’s had half a dozen wives + 20+ kids then what do you expect life to be like?

It’s also not a coincidence that she’s ended up in London - Sheikh Mohammed has billions of assets here and British family/divorce courts are very generous in such cases.

I felt really sorry for the young princess who tried to escape (and was shamelessly sent back by the Indian government) but as for this lady, well sounds like she’s already landed on her feet.

Illegal immigrants are deported. Thats the law.

 

[Zaz]

Illegal immigrants are deported. Thats the law.

Not unless her life and well being is at threat

Tricky for the uk as it can spoil their relationship with the with the arab country

 

[Slog]

How is it possible? I thought a muslim man can marry a maximum of five women except for Prophet Monhammed (PBUH). How did he end up marrying six women?

Maximum of four , he has obviously divorced some in order to marry again.

Maximum of four, simultaneously.

Or it could be that he doesn’t care to follow that law? Why is there the assumption he’s following every law

 

[Abdullah719]

Or it could be that he doesn’t care to follow that law? Why is there the assumption he’s following every law

Possible, was just assuming.

 

[DeadBall]

Or it could be that he doesn’t care to follow that law? Why is there the assumption he’s following every law

He (or any other king) doesn't care about the law but about the number of heirs to his throne. Having too many direct nominees could result in conflict, the safe number is 3 to 4 sons.

 

[Madplayer]

He (or any other king) doesn't care about the law but about the number of heirs to his throne. Having too many direct nominees could result in conflict, the safe number is 3 to 4 sons.

Religion is for poor people only.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Religion is for poor people only.

What does this mean? God doesn't care how rich or poor you are, your deeds count an not your wealth

 

[cricketjoshila]

Not unless her life and well being is at threat

Tricky for the uk as it can spoil their relationship with the with the arab country

If we take in every immigrant who says his life is in danger in his country, India's population will increase by millions.

 

[Madplayer]

What does this mean? God doesn't care how rich or poor you are, your deeds count an not your wealth

I meant that the rich and powerful have historically ignored the tenets of religion while asking the poor and weak to follow it to the t.

 

[PaceOverEverything]

Is monarchy the ideal form of governance for countries of the ummat?

 

[Zaz]

If we take in every immigrant who says his life is in danger in his country, India's population will increase by millions.

Good job then she doesnt want to reside in india

And anyway the last arab royal that went there for sanctuary got shipped straight back to uae so no wonder the next one didnt go there

 

[Knight_Rider]

If we take in every immigrant who says his life is in danger in his country, India's population will increase by millions.

This is ironic because Indians themselves are queuing up at every Western country to escape India somehow. Many of them claim political asylum in those countries saying that their own life is in danger in India. So unfortunately India isnt a benchmark for a dafe haven.

 

[HussainRx8]

Lol. Are you kidding me? She wasn’t coming to live in India. Her plan was to flee to US after escaping to India.

 

[cricketjoshila]

This is ironic because Indians themselves are queuing up at every Western country to escape India somehow. Many of them claim political asylum in those countries saying that their own life is in danger in India. So unfortunately India isnt a benchmark for a dafe haven.

There is a difference between legal immigration and asking fir Asylum.

Right now India has illegal refugees from almost every country in its neighnourhood.

 

[Salma_T]

Seeking asylum is not illegal

 

[RameezRambo_Fan]

Nothing more than a bunch of rich, slave owning Shiekhs. The most disgusting people on earth. Let them fight among themselves.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Seeking asylum is not illegal

Entering a country without proper documents and or staying back without proper documents is illegal.

 

[HussainRx8]

It seems you keep confusing immigration with asylum. Apples and oranges.

As a signatory to Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, India must admit an asylum seeker.

In any case, the entire point is moot. She wasn’t entering India to seek asylum. She planned to flee to US and seek refuge there. It’s almost comical to think that she would want to live in India.

 

[barah_admi]

She just wants to live a normal life. Is fed up of living in houses made of gold yet having no freedom at all. Arab culture is incredibly oppressive.

Yep, living a normal life in Kensington in a property almost worth a hundred million pounds. So normal....

 

[PakLFC]

Yep, living a normal life in Kensington in a property almost worth a hundred million pounds. So normal....

Being wealthy is not her fault! Normal in terms of getting some freedom. At least she will be able to go for a walk in the park on her own, hopefully.

 

[Salma_T]

Entering a country without proper documents and or staying back without proper documents is illegal.

It is not.....check the UN laws re asylum.....you sound like the Australian Govt

 

[MenInG]

The ruler of Dubai, one of the most high-profile leaders in the Middle East, and his estranged wife are beginning a court battle in London over the welfare of their children.

Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's wife, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, is the third female member of his court to run away from the United Arab Emirates.

This month she was reported to be in hiding in London in fear for her life.

The UK court case centres on their children, with whom she fled.

Princess Haya asked the High Court on Tuesday for wardship of her children, as well as a forced marriage protection order and a non-molestation order.

According to the Gov.uk website, the first order protects people who are in forced marriages, while a person can apply for the second order if they are a victim of domestic violence.

The princess, who was born in Jordan and educated at private schools in Britain, is an Olympic equestrian and the half-sister of the current Jordanian ruler, King Abdullah II.

She married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004, becoming his sixth and "junior" wife. The 70-year-old sheikh, who is the billionaire owner of Godolphin horse racing stables, reportedly has 23 children by different wives.

Princess Haya initially fled to Germany to try and seek asylum there, but it emerged this month that she was living in central London - specifically, in an £85m ($107m) town house in Kensington Palace Gardens.

It's believed that Princess Haya will want to stay in the UK. However, if her husband demands her return to Dubai, this could cause a diplomatic headache for Britain - which has close ties to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After she fled, Sheikh Mohammed wrote an angry poem accusing an unnamed woman of betrayal and treachery, and posted it on his Instagram page.

Why is Princess Haya said to have run away?
Sources close to the princess said earlier this month that she had recently discovered disturbing facts about the mysterious return to Dubai last year of Sheikha Latifa, one of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters.

Sheikha Latifa had escaped the UAE by sea with the help of a Frenchman, but was intercepted by armed men off the coast of India. She was then returned to Dubai.

At the time, Princess Haya defended Dubai's reputation over the incident, claiming that Sheikha Latifa had been "vulnerable to exploitation" and was "now safe in Dubai". Human rights advocates said she was abducted against her will.

Later, however, sources alleged that Princess Haya had become aware of new information related to the case, and as a result came under increasing pressure from her husband's extended family.

In July 2000, another of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters - Sheikha Shamsa Al Maktoum, who was 19 at the time - briefly escaped from the family's Surrey home.

Her method of escaping - by driving their Land Rover to the edge of the estate, abandoning the car and slipping through a fence on foot - made headlines at the time. She was reportedly found in Cambridge a year later and returned to Dubai.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49162276

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

She was educated in Britain, that makes her virtually British. The only complication here is that she married some Sheikh at the age of 30 so many will think she got greedy and went for gold digging in the desert instead of using her sense to follow the superior British way of life.

Still, it could turn out well for her if she gets legal support against the Arabs and she comes away with a nice financial settlement.

 

[Hornbill]

The ruler of Dubai, one of the most high-profile leaders in the Middle East, and his estranged wife are beginning a court battle in London over the welfare of their children.

Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's wife, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, is the third female member of his court to run away from the United Arab Emirates.

This month she was reported to be in hiding in London in fear for her life.

The UK court case centres on their children, with whom she fled.

Princess Haya asked the High Court on Tuesday for wardship of her children, as well as a forced marriage protection order and a non-molestation order.

According to the Gov.uk website, the first order protects people who are in forced marriages, while a person can apply for the second order if they are a victim of domestic violence.

The princess, who was born in Jordan and educated at private schools in Britain, is an Olympic equestrian and the half-sister of the current Jordanian ruler, King Abdullah II.

She married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004, becoming his sixth and "junior" wife. The 70-year-old sheikh, who is the billionaire owner of Godolphin horse racing stables, reportedly has 23 children by different wives.

Princess Haya initially fled to Germany to try and seek asylum there, but it emerged this month that she was living in central London - specifically, in an £85m ($107m) town house in Kensington Palace Gardens.

It's believed that Princess Haya will want to stay in the UK. However, if her husband demands her return to Dubai, this could cause a diplomatic headache for Britain - which has close ties to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After she fled, Sheikh Mohammed wrote an angry poem accusing an unnamed woman of betrayal and treachery, and posted it on his Instagram page.

Why is Princess Haya said to have run away?
Sources close to the princess said earlier this month that she had recently discovered disturbing facts about the mysterious return to Dubai last year of Sheikha Latifa, one of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters.

Sheikha Latifa had escaped the UAE by sea with the help of a Frenchman, but was intercepted by armed men off the coast of India. She was then returned to Dubai.

At the time, Princess Haya defended Dubai's reputation over the incident, claiming that Sheikha Latifa had been "vulnerable to exploitation" and was "now safe in Dubai". Human rights advocates said she was abducted against her will.

Later, however, sources alleged that Princess Haya had become aware of new information related to the case, and as a result came under increasing pressure from her husband's extended family.

In July 2000, another of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters - Sheikha Shamsa Al Maktoum, who was 19 at the time - briefly escaped from the family's Surrey home.

Her method of escaping - by driving their Land Rover to the edge of the estate, abandoning the car and slipping through a fence on foot - made headlines at the time. She was reportedly found in Cambridge a year later and returned to Dubai.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49162276

Nobody in India cares about princess Latifa case not even the opposition questioned whether proper legal proceedings were followed

 

[slipcatch]

I believe the only King, who did well in marriage department by marrying only once, is Kind of Jordon, Abdullah II.

 

[cricketjoshila]

She was educated in Britain, that makes her virtually British. The only complication here is that she married some Sheikh at the age of 30 so many will think she got greedy and went for gold digging in the desert instead of using her sense to follow the superior British way of life.

Still, it could turn out well for her if she gets legal support against the Arabs and she comes away with a nice financial settlement.

Its not that she was from a ordinary family. Her father was the King of Jordan. So gold digging isnt exactly a fit here.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Its not that she was from a ordinary family. Her father was the King of Jordan. So gold digging isnt exactly a fit here.

Maybe she was just really into older men.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Maybe she was just really into older men.

Or may be love is really blind.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Or may be love is really blind.

Well she's opened her eyes now happily, she will be fighting a legal battle from her £85m home in Kensington Palace, London in a UK High Court.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Well she's opened her eyes now happily, she will be fighting a legal battle from her £85m home in Kensington Palace, London in a UK High Court.

How willing will be UK to carry out strictures againist a reigning monarch?

The Al Maktoums hold significant political and financial clout.

I wonder whats the view of her family.

Anyone has any idea how powerful the Jordan family is? Or are they quiet due to the fear of the dubai rulers.

 

[MenInG]

Abduction, forced return, torture and a campaign of intimidation. On Thursday the damning allegations made against the billionaire ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, by his former wife, Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain, became established fact, published in a series of judgements by Britain's High Court.

Following a high-profile case that began eight months ago, the court has published a Fact Finding Judgement (FFJ) in favour of Princess Haya who fled Dubai last year, along with her two children, telling friends she was in fear of her life.

Sheikh Mohammed had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the judgement out of the public domain but had his appeal rejected after it was ruled to be in the public interest. The ruler of Dubai was found to have "not been open and honest with the court".

After hearing extensive witness statements over a period of time, the court found Sheikh Mohammed to have been responsible for the abduction and forced return of two of his daughters from another marriage.

Sheikha Shamsa fled the family's UK estate in Surrey in 2000 but was later recaptured in Cambridgeshire by agents of the Sheikh, allegedly injected with a sedative and forcibly returned to Dubai where she remains in captivity. A request by Cambridgeshire Police to visit Dubai to investigate her abduction was refused.

Sheikha Latifa made two unsuccessful attempts to flee her father's family, in 2002 and 2018. After the first she was imprisoned by her father in Dubai for over three years. In the second attempt she was recaptured at sea off the Indian coast and forcibly returned to Dubai, where she remains under house arrest. The judge found her allegations of serious physical abuse amounting to torture, made by Latifa in a public video, to be credible.

The judge found that Sheikh Mohammed "continues to maintain a regime whereby both these two young women are deprived of their liberty".

Princess Haya of Jordan, 45, a daughter of the late King Hussain and a former Olympic equestrian, married Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, 70, in 2004, becoming the sixth and youngest of his wives. They have two children, aged seven and 11.

Initially she believed his explanations of what had happened to the two princesses, namely that they had been "rescued" and were now safe with the family.

But by early 2019 Princess Haya had become suspicious and voiced her concerns. She had also begun an adulterous affair with her British bodyguard.

A campaign of intimidation by Sheikh Mohammed's agents began and the court heard that a gun was twice placed on her pillow with the safety catch off. A helicopter landed outside her house with a threat to remove her to a remote desert prison.

The judge ruled that "the father has therefore acted in a manner from the end of 2018 which has been aimed at intimidating and frightening the mother, and that he has encouraged others to do so on his behalf".

'A huge embarrassment'
In April 2019 Princess Haya fled to Britain, taking her two children with her. The court heard how veiled threats from Sheikh Mohammed had left her terrified for her own safety, as well as fears that her children could be abducted and forcibly returned to Dubai.

In May 2019 she said he told her: "You and the children will never be safe in England". He published a poem entitled: "You lived, you died".

The court heard how the Sheikh had used his media contacts to generate a series of negative articles about Princess Haya, many of which were "wholly inaccurate".

These judgements, and the allegations upheld by them, are clearly a huge personal embarrassment to Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum. It is hardly surprising therefore that his legal team tried their best to keep them out of the public domain.

While his former wife, Princess Haya, has a relatively low profile, Sheikh Mohammed is a global figure in the horseracing world where he is the owner and founder of Godolphin Stables.

He has often been photographed with the Queen. He is also a renowned figure across the Middle East, responsible for transforming the emirate of Dubai into the massive tourism, leisure and business destination it has become.

The rulings have been welcomed by human rights campaigners.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51756984

 

[chacha kashmiri]

The second princess who has complained of torture in the uae
Just when u think UAE is liberal compared to the South Asia and Saudi Arabia and Nigeria this really shocked me
When will men stop trying to control women and let them free

 

[Firebat]

Princess Latifa: 'Hostage' ordeal of Dubai ruler's daughter revealed

The daughter of Dubai's ruler who tried to flee the country in 2018 later sent secret video messages to friends accusing her father of holding her "hostage" as she feared for her life.

In footage shared with BBC Panorama, Princess Latifa Al Maktoum says commandos drugged her as she fled by boat and flew her back to detention.

The secret messages have stopped - and friends are urging the UN to step in.

Dubai and the UAE have previously said she is safe in the care of family.

Ex-UN rights envoy Mary Robinson, who had described Latifa as a "troubled young woman" after meeting her in 2018, now says she was "horribly tricked" by the princess's family.

The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and president of Ireland has joined calls for international action to establish Latifa's current condition and whereabouts.

"I continue to be very worried about Latifa. Things have moved on. And so I think it should be investigated," she said.

Latifa's father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is one of the richest heads of state in the world, the ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The videos were recorded over several months on a phone Latifa was secretly given about a year after her capture and return to Dubai. She recorded them in a bathroom as it had the only door she could lock.

In the messages, she detailed how:

- she fought back against the soldiers taking her off the boat, "kicking and fighting" and biting one Emirati commando's arm until he screamed

- after being tranquillised she lost consciousness as she was being carried on to a private jet, and didn't wake up until it landed in Dubai

- she was being held alone without access to medical or legal help in a villa with windows and doors barred shut, and guarded by police

Latifa's account of her capture and detention was revealed to Panorama by her close friend Tiina Jauhiainen, maternal cousin Marcus Essabri and campaigner David Haigh, who are all behind the Free Latifa campaign.

They say they have taken the difficult decision to release the messages now out of concern for Latifa's safety.

It was they who managed to establish contact with Latifa as she was held in a Dubai "villa", which she said had barred windows and police guards.

Panorama has independently verified the details of where Latifa was held.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56075528

 

[MenInG]

A missing Dubai princess says she is a "hostage" in secret videos released to Sky News.

For three years, the world has heard nothing from Princess Latifa, a daughter of one of the world's richest men, Dubai's billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.

She attempted to escape her family in March 2018, by trying to sail across the Indian Ocean - but was brought back to Dubai in what the royal family say was a rescue mission.

Friends of the princess managed to smuggle a phone to her, and Sky News was able to pass questions to her in the spring and summer of 2019.

In the videos, she tells her story in her own words for the first time, including a claim that she was sedated during her forcible return: "This guy came with a small pouch, like a camouflage pouch, and he took out a needle and he injected me in my arm."

Sky News can reveal Princess Latifa says:

• She was beaten, drugged and imprisoned in a jail

• She has been locked away in a royal villa and placed under armed guard and bars on the windows

• She is a hostage, wants her passport and to be free to leave the UAE

What is the sheikh's side of the story?

The sheikh says Latifa was tricked into escaping by criminals who wanted money and that returning her to Dubai was a rescue mission.

He says the princess is safe and well, and that they want to maintain her privacy.

Latifa's father, who is also the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, is a powerful and influential man, with horse-racing and property assets in the UK. The sheikh is regularly seen alongside heads of state, including the Queen.

However, he has also been the subject of allegations that have come from a number of members of his family. Two ex-wives claim he abused them. As have Latifa and one of her sisters.

The sheikh denies all this.

Latifa: In her own words

The princess has not been seen or heard from since she attempted to flee Dubai in 2018 - other than a handful of official photographs in December that same year.

But now, Sky News can share Latifa's side of this astonishing story.

She says: "So I am in a villa. I am a hostage. This villa has been converted into a jail. All the windows are barred shut, I can't open any window.

"There are five policemen outside and two policewomen inside the house and I can't even go outside to get any fresh air."

She continues: "I am doing this video from a bathroom because it is the only room with a door that I can lock.

"The door to my room, I put, because I can't lock the door to my room, there is no key, I put a bottle and some boxes underneath so if somebody opens the handle it will make a loud sound and it will be like an alarm so I stop talking. So yeah, this is my situation now."

Sky News sent questions to Sheikha Latifa in the spring and summer of 2019. We had agreed to publish the videos with the now 35-year-old princess's permission, but in the summer of 2020, contact was lost.

Her current whereabouts is unknown.

What happened on the boat?

The decision to publish now comes as some of the videos are passed to the UN, who are investigating Sheikha Latifa's fate.

Princess Latifa's 2018 escape came to an abrupt end when armed Indian commandos boarded the yacht she was sailing on off the coast of Goa.

In her video messages, Latifa describes clinging on to the side of the vessel, before being dragged off on to a smaller boat and then moved to a helicopter.

"I was fighting as hard as I could. I was wearing flip flops and my flip flops came off so I was barefoot. I didn't have any weapons. I was tied. I was up against a lot of people with weapons. It wasn't easy," she says.

Once on the smaller boat she describes how she was physically restrained and drugged: "The one who was sitting on my stomach, he grabs my chest and he says to me: 'shut up, shut up' so I got really, really angry and I was hitting him with my hands and screaming at him to get off me and I was so so angry and I just kept fighting with him really hard.

"Nobody cared, but eventually because I was really, really, really struggling a lot the other Emerati guy told him get off her and he sat on me and he helped the other guy tie up my legs but I was fighting. This guy came with a small pouch, like a camouflage pouch and he took out a needle and he injected me in my arm."

Back in Dubai

Ultimately, she was moved on to a helicopter and brought back to Dubai.

She says: "So when I woke up, the private jet had already landed in Dubai and one of the policewomen, she was like, I woke up and she was braiding my hair while I was asleep. And I noticed that my hands were like really bruised and swollen, especially my left hand, because the zip ties were still on me and I was still on the stretcher, still tied to the stretcher."

She says she was questioned, and taken to a cell in Al Alwir jail on the outskirts of Dubai before she was moved to the guarded villa.

"So the cell was in Section 13 in Al Awir jail and outside it said 291 and I was there from my kidnap day until May 27 2018. So approximately three months I was in our al Awir jail cell," she says, adding: "For quite some time I was sleep deprived, I wasn't really sleeping properly, I would sometimes pass out from exhaustion.

"It wasn't a good situation. The bathroom had no door. I think it was just another way to humiliate you, you know."

Her friends did not hear from Latifa after the escape, until around a year later a message reached Tiina Jauhiainen, who had been on board with the princess.

"When I got the first message from Latifa I couldn't believe it was happening. I was so emotional. I couldn't sleep for a couple of nights because there was a timeframe where I wasn't sure what was going on, if this message passed to me by this person was happening a long time ago.

"I was having a hard time contacting her but finally weeks later, when I first heard Latifa's voice I burst into tears, it was one of the most emotional moments I've had ever had and I can recall up to today. It was very, very special."

Why release these now?

Sky News had agreed to run these videos when Latifa herself wanted them to be made public, but she has been uncontactable for nine months.

Her video messages have now been passed - by her friends - to the United Nations, which is why we have made the decision to air them.

Another friend of Latifa, human rights campaigner David Haigh, who has previously been charged and detained in the UAE over fraud allegations, hopes the videos will encourage the UN and others to act.

He told Sky News: "We want politicians and former politicians and world leaders and celebrities and so-called influencers, the people that go to Dubai and the UAE and promote that country, to wake up and see what the reality is.

"This is a country that is literally I mean people will be on those beaches in Dubai a few hundred metres away from where Latifa is essentially in solitary confinement, a hostage."

What happened to Latifa was examined during a High Court battle between the sheikh and his now former wife, Princess Haya bint al Hussein.

In findings made public in March 2020, Sir Andrew McFarlane, presiding over the case, accepted that the sheikh had been responsible for the kidnapping and detention of Latifa.

The senior British judge also accepted the princess's account that she had been drugged, beaten and detained following a previous escape in 2002.

Eyewitness testimony from Princess Haya was also accepted. She told the court she visited Latifa in December 2018 and found she "was held against her will. She was locked in a house, guarded from the outside and from the inside".

The sheikh rejected the judgement, accusing it of being biased.

In a statement released at the time, he said: "As a Head of Government, I was not able to participate in the Court's fact-finding process, this has resulted in the release of a 'fast-finding' judgment which inevitably tells only one side of the story."

Representatives of the sheikh did not respond to requests for comment.

SKY

 

[MenInG]

The UN Commission on Human Rights has asked for proof that Dubai's missing princess is alive.

Princess Latifa is a daughter of one of the world's richest men, Dubai's billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.

She has accused her father of holding her hostage in secret videos released to Sky News, following attempts to flee the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 35-year-old claims she was beaten, drugged and imprisoned, firstly in a jail and then in a villa with bars at the window, after she attempted to escape from Dubai in February 2018.

She says she was forcibly returned the following month, in what the royal family say was a rescue mission.

The sheikh, a powerful and influential man regularly seen alongside heads of state such as the Queen, has previously said she is safe and well.

The family say they wish to maintain her privacy.

But world leaders including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have called for information about her wellbeing - and now the UN has stepped in.

The Commission says it has raised the issue with the UAE's mission in Geneva.

In 2000, another of Sheikh Mohammed's daughters went missing.

Sheikha Shamsa al Maktoum, ran away aged 19 during the family's annual UK holiday and allegedly went to see an immigration solicitor in London to seek advice about remaining in Britain.

But shortly afterwards, she was taken from the street and she later claimed it was her father who sent "four Arab men to catch me, they were carrying guns and threatening me".

Sheikh Mohammed told a court Shamsa was vulnerable and just a child and he felt "overwhelming relief" when she was found.

Shamsa has not been seen in public since.

SKY

 

[MenInG]

A new image of Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, has been posted on Instagram suggesting she was at a Spanish airport.

Several pictures of the princess appearing alive and well have been posted by the same person, Sioned Taylor, in recent months.

Princess Latifa had not been seen in public since her failed attempt to flee the UAE in 2018.

In secret video messages released to Sky News in February this year, the Dubai royal claimed her father was holding her hostage.

The latest image shows Latifa, 35, wearing a face mask indoors - a measure enforced due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Her long-term friend, Ms Taylor, captioned the post: "Great European holiday with Latifa. We're having fun exploring!"

Ms Taylor, a teacher in Dubai, is asked whether Latifa is okay, to which she replied: "She is great."

She also confirmed the picture was taken in Madrid Barajas airport.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has consistently denied his daughter has been kept hostage, saying she is safe and well.

Calls had been made for the sheikh to provide "proof of life" of his daughter after the tapes were published.

After the latest image was posted, David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign, said: "We are pleased to see Latifa seemingly having a passport, travelling and enjoying an increasing degree of freedom, these are very positive steps forward."

"I can also confirm that several of the campaign team have been contacted directly by Latifa."

Ms Taylor's latest photo of the princess is the fourth recent image posted online.

The last image of her was shared around four weeks ago showing Ms Taylor and the princess at a Dubai restaurant.

Without offering more context, Ms Taylor wrote: "Lovely food at Bice Mare with Latifa earlier."

Many followers have been dubious about the credibility of the images, with many asking why Latifa cannot say she is okay for herself.

But another photo from several weeks ago shows Latifa with Ms Taylor and another woman sitting in a Dubai mall with a visible date in the background and face masks on the table, indicating it had been taken recently.

And a photo of Latifa was also posted in May by Fiona Day, who describes herself online as an intuitive consultant and a psychic medium.

Ms Day posts regularly online about animals and veganism, and it is understood Princess Latifa is also passionate about animals, veganism and has an interest in psychic healing.

Sky News has not been able to independently verify the photos but understands they are thought to be legitimate.

The princess attempted to escape from her family in March 2018, by trying to sail across the Indian Ocean, but she was brought back to Dubai in what the royal family said was a rescue mission.

She had not been seen or heard from in public until earlier this year, when she claimed she was a "hostage" in secret videos released to Sky News.

In the videos, she claimed she had been beaten, drugged and imprisoned, locked away in a royal villa and placed under armed guard.

The sheikh had claimed Latifa was tricked into escaping by criminals who wanted money and that returning her to Dubai was a rescue mission.

He insisted she was safe and well and that the family wanted to maintain her privacy.

SKY

 

[LongHorn]

Considering what happened on Saturday in Oxford Street, London isnt exactly a safe space for anyone fleeing that particular government

 

[silentkiller187]

Considering what happened on Saturday in Oxford Street, London isnt exactly a safe space for anyone fleeing that particular government

what happened on Saturday in Oxford street?

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/dubai-ruler-must-provide-554-million-pounds-settle-uk-custody-case-2021-12-21/

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has been ordered by the High Court in London to provide a British record of more than 554 million pounds ($733 million) to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife over their two children.

The bulk of the massive award to Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, half-sister of Jordan's King Abdullah, and the couple's two children, is to ensure their lifetime security, not least to address the "grave risk" posed to them by the sheikh himself, said the judge, Philip Moor.

The judge said: "She is not asking for an award for herself other than for security" and to compensate her for the possessions she lost as a result of the marital breakdown.

He directed Mohammed to make a one-off payment of 251.5 million pounds within three months to Haya for the upkeep of her British mansions, to cover the money she said she was owed for jewellery and racehorses, and for her future security costs.

The sheikh, who is vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, was also told to provide 3 million pounds towards the education of Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, and 9.6 million pounds in arrears. He was also asked to pay 11.2 million pounds a year for the children's maintenance, and for their security when they become adults.

These payments will be guaranteed via a 290 million pound security held by HSBC bank. The final sum, despite being believed by some London lawyers to be the largest public award ever ordered by an English family court, is less than half of the 1.4 billion pounds that Haya had originally sought.

During almost seven hours of testimony, Haya, 47, said a large one-off payment would allow for a clean break and remove the sheikh's hold over her and their children.

"I really want to be free and I want them to be free," she told the court.

Following the ruling, a spokesperson for the sheikh said he "has always ensured that his children are provided for" and asked for the media to respect their privacy. A lawyer for Haya did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The settlement is the latest development in a legal saga that began when the princess fled to Britain in April 2019, fearing for her safety after she began an affair with one of her bodyguards, and a month after she had asked the sheikh for a divorce.

Later that year, the London court ruled Mohammed had carried out a campaign of threats and intimidation that made her fear for her life, and that he had also previously abducted and mistreated two of his daughters by another marriage.

Earlier this year, the President of the Family Division in England and Wales, a senior judge, also determined that Mohammed had ordered the phones of Haya and her lawyers, one of whom is a parliamentary lawmaker, to be hacked using the sophisticated "Pegasus" state security software.

Haya had not asked for any divorce settlement. She did not offer an explanation, but her lawyers said she would have been entitled to seek billions as the ex-wife of one of the world's richest men.

"The mother's financial claims, and the size of the relief that's being sought, are quite unprecedented," the sheikh's lawyer, Nigel Dyer, told the court during hearings which could not be reported until Tuesday.

He said her demands were excessive and she was really claiming for herself under the guise of her children. He also accused the princess of misusing the children's funds, saying that she had paid out 6.7 million pounds to blackmailers, who were part of her security team, to keep an affair quiet.

The court did not hear from the alleged blackmailers. Haya said she used money from the children's accounts because she was frightened.

Haya's lawyer, Nicholas Cusworth, said legal fees over two and a half years had reached more than 70 million pounds, adding "the true extent of the colossal sums spent by (Mohammed) will never be known".

The bulk of Haya's financial award will go on security, according to the details of the settlement. This was to keep the children safe from being abducted by their own father, the ruling said, including cash for a fleet of armoured cars which would be replaced every few years.

Moor said Haya and her children needed the extensive provision to protect them from the sheikh, as well as because of their royal status.

"Absolutely uniquely, the main threat they face is from (the sheikh) himself not from outside sources," Moor said.

"There will remain a clear and ever present risk to (Haya) for the remainder of her life, whether it be from (Mohammed) or just from the normal terrorist," he said, referring to security threats faced by someone in Haya's position.

Such were the concerns that Haya's head of security - known only as 'Director 1' - had to be brought into the courtroom to give evidence about her security needs with the windows blacked out, shielded with a curtain from all except Moor and two lawyers, and his name handed to the judge on a piece of paper.

Haya's lawyers told the judge the money available to the princess and the children in Dubai had been "limitless", with access to more than a dozen luxurious homes, a 400 million pound yacht and a fleet of private planes.

She had an annual budget of more than 83 million pounds for her household in Dubai with another 9 million pounds spending money, the ruling said. Mohammed's lawyer acknowledged to the court he could raise 1.25 billion pounds in cash within three months.

"I remind myself that money was no object during the marriage," Moor said in approving Haya's claim for 1.9 million pounds to be spent on a kitchen extension, pizza oven and kitchen curtains at her London home.

Moor said he would not give "carte blanche" to Haya's financial claims, but would consider her demands "with a very clear eye to the exceptional circumstances of this case, such as the truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties in Dubai".

Haya told the court it was not excessive for her to ask for millions to pay for five housekeepers, clothing, upkeep of her two mansions, one estimated to be worth about 100 million pounds, and regular holidays.

Her jewellery, in total valued at some 20 million pounds, would fill the courtroom if spread out, she said.

Moor ordered Mohammed to pay her 1 million pounds for missing haute couture garments which she said had disappeared and 5 million to cover nine weeks of vacations for her and family members every year.

"She is not, in the context of this case, wealthy," her lawyer, Cusworth, said. The ruling said she had been forced to sell 15.6 million pounds of assets - including horses worth 10 million and 2.1 million pounds worth of jewellery - to make ends meet while she waited for the final settlement.

He said her demands should be seen in the context that Mohammed had a 2 million pound bill for buying strawberries one summer for his country estate, northeast of London.

However, the sheikh's lawyer, Dyer, described many of Haya's claims as "absurd" or "ridiculous", and said they were totally at odds with her stated desire for her children to lead a normal life.

He said the judge's ruling was likely to be "the largest financial remedy award certainly ever ordered and I imagine ever made by a family court".

The previous largest sum ever thought to have been ordered by a British court was the 453.6 million pounds that Russian billionaire Farkad Akhmedov was instructed to pay for his 2016 divorce settlement.

Mohammed, 72, had offered to pay regular maintenance sums of 10 million pounds a year, and provide a 500 million pound guarantee which Dyer said would "hang like a sword of Damocles" over his head and that of his family.

In his conclusion, Moor said he found Haya's evidence to be "palpably honest".

To Mohammed, the princess's lawyer Cusworth said, "the actual value of money is very different to any normal mortal involved in this case or any litigant who normally comes before this court".

 

[Giannis]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/dubai-ruler-must-provide-554-million-pounds-settle-uk-custody-case-2021-12-21/

That's a huge stimulus for the Jordanian economy lol. I don't think they've recieved a half a billion dollar investment in recent times

 

[MenInG]

The potentially record-breaking settlement in the divorce between the ruler of Dubai and his ex-wife Princess Haya provided an insight into what the judge called the “truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties” during their marriage.

The court heard that before their separation in 2019, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum had provided Haya with £83m a year for her household spending plus an allowance of £9m per annum for herself and various ad hoc payments.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Princess Haya attending Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 2016.

Their children, Jalila, now 14, and Zayed, now nine, had annual allowances of approximately £10m each, as well as access to a fleet of aeroplanes owned by the sheikh, including a custom-fit Boeing 747 upon which he insisted the children should travel, helicopters, a $400m (£303m) superyacht and luxurious properties worth hundreds of millions of pounds. The children and their mother also had support from about 80 staff .

In one summer while they were married, Haya and Sheikh Mohammed spent £2m on strawberries, the court heard.

Among the items Haya unsuccessfully asked to be returned to her were haute couture clothing worth €74m (£63m) and jewellery worth £20m. After a video of the walk-in safe at the beach palace was shown in court, Haya said most valuable items had been removed, leaving mainly costume jewellery worth about £20,000. Asked by the judge whether there was “any point” it being sent to her, she replied “no”.

In the event, Mr Justice Moor ordered Haya’s ex-husband to pay her £13.7m for jewellery and £1m for haute couture clothing (she claimed £32m rather than €74m). She was also awarded £5m to “buy a few reasonable horses and run them for several years”.

Holidays formed a significant portion of the yearly maintenance payments for the children, with £5.1m awarded for nine weeks of foreign holidays a year, two weeks in the UK, plus three long weekends in Jordan and three weekends away in the UK.

Also forming part of the maintenance payments are £1m a year on “leisure” and £277,050 annually on animals, including two ponies and a horse, which the children ride. While the court heard that they had incurred tutoring costs of £250,000 a year, the amount awarded was set at £100,000 per annum.

The court heard that while the sheikh would be able to afford any amount he was directed to pay within reason, Haya’s resources amounted to £100m but were largely tied up in two properties and she had been forced to sell assets worth £15.6m since coming to Britain.

Her desire, expressed in court, for the children to live a “normal life” in the UK, was questioned by the sheikh’s lawyer in light of some of the sums claimed.

For his part, Moor said he would “do my best to come to a conclusion as to what is reasonable while remembering that the exceptional wealth and remarkable standard of living enjoyed by these children during the marriage takes this case entirely out of the ordinary”.

He largely refrained from comment on the amounts involved although he said it was a “legitimate criticism” to question the purchase of three cars for Zayed. Declining to make any award with respect to the children’s cars, he said: “I do consider it an artificial edifice to talk of children of the ages of these children owning motor vehicles. Moreover, Zayed’s precious motor vehicle has now finally been returned to him.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ment-reveals-truly-opulent-standard-of-living

 

[MenInG]

London: Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has been ordered by the High Court in London to provide a British record of more than 554 million pounds ($733 million) to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife over their two children.
The bulk of the massive award to Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, half-sister of Jordan's King Abdullah, and the couple's two children, is to ensure their lifetime security, not least to address the "grave risk" posed to them by the sheikh himself, the judge, Philip Moor, said.

The judge said: "She is not asking for an award for herself other than for security" and to compensate her for the possessions she lost as a result of the marital breakdown.

He directed Mohammed to make a one-off payment of 251.5 million pounds within three months to Haya for the upkeep of her British mansions, to cover the money she said she was owed for jewellery and racehorses, and for her future security costs.

The sheikh, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, was also told to provide 3 million pounds towards the education of Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, and 9.6 million pounds in arrears. He was also asked to pay 11.2 million pounds a year for the children's maintenance, and for their security when they become adults.

These payments will be guaranteed via a 290 million pound security held by HSBC bank. The final sum, despite being believed by some London lawyers to be the largest public award ever ordered by an English family court, is less than half of the 1.4 billion pounds that Haya had originally sought.

During almost seven hours of testimony, Haya, 47, said a large one-off payment would allow for a clean break and remove the sheikh's hold over her and their children.

"I really want to be free and I want them to be free," she told the court.

The huge financial settlement is the latest development in a legal saga that began when the princess fled to Britain in April 2019, fearing for her safety after she began an affair with one of her bodyguards, and a month after she had asked the sheikh for a divorce.

Later that year, the London court ruled Mohammed had carried out a campaign of threats and intimidation that made her fear for her life, and that he had also previously abducted and mistreated two of his daughters by another marriage.

Earlier this year, the President of the Family Division in England and Wales, a senior judge, also determined that Mohammed had ordered the phones of Haya and her lawyers, one of whom is a parliamentary lawmaker, to be hacked using the sophisticated "Pegasus" state security software.

Haya had not asked for any divorce settlement. She did not offer an explanation, but her lawyers said she would have been entitled to seek billions as the ex-wife of one of the world's richest men.

"The mother's financial claims, and the size of the relief that's being sought, are quite unprecedented," the sheikh's lawyer, Nigel Dyer, told the court during hearings which could not be reported until Tuesday.

He said her demands were excessive and she was really claiming for herself under the guise of her children. He also accused the princess of misusing the children's funds, saying that she had paid out 6.7 million pounds to blackmailers, who were part of her security team, to keep an affair quiet.

The court did not hear from the alleged blackmailers. Haya said she used money from the children's accounts because she was frightened.

The 70 Million Pound Court Fight

Haya's lawyer, Nicholas Cusworth, said legal fees over two and a half years had reached more than 70 million pounds, adding "the true extent of the colossal sums spent by (Mohammed) will never be known".

The bulk of Haya's financial award will go on security, according to the details of the settlement. This was to keep the children safe from being abducted by their own father, the ruling said, including cash for a fleet of armoured cars which would be replaced every few years.

Moor said Haya and her children needed the extensive provision to protect them from the sheikh, as well as because of their royal status.

"Absolutely uniquely, the main threat they face is from (the sheikh) himself not from outside sources," Moor said.

"There will remain a clear and ever present risk to (Haya) for the remainder of her life, whether it be from (Mohammed) or just from the normal terrorist," he said, referring to security threats faced by someone in Haya's position.

Such were the concerns that Haya's head of security - known only as 'Director 1' - had to be brought into the courtroom to give evidence about her security needs with the windows blacked out, shielded with a curtain from all except Moor and two lawyers, and his name handed to the judge on a piece of paper.

Limitless Money

Haya's lawyers told the judge the money available to the princess and the children in Dubai had been "limitless", with access to more than a dozen luxurious homes, a 400 million pound yacht and a fleet of private planes.

She had an annual budget of more than 83 million pounds for her household in Dubai with another 9 million pounds spending money, the ruling said. Mohammed's lawyer acknowledged to the court he could raise 1.25 billion pounds in cash within three months.

"I remind myself that money was no object during the marriage," Moor said in approving Haya's claim for 1.9 million pounds to be spent on a kitchen extension, pizza oven and kitchen curtains at her London home.

Moor said he would not give "carte blanche" to Haya's financial claims, but would consider her demands "with a very clear eye to the exceptional circumstances of this case, such as the truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties in Dubai".

Haya told the court it was not excessive for her to ask for millions to pay for five housekeepers, clothing, upkeep of her two mansions, one estimated to be worth about 100 million pounds, and regular holidays.

Her jewellery, in total valued at some 20 million pounds, would fill the courtroom if spread out, she said.

Moor ordered Mohammed to pay her 1 million pounds for missing haute couture garments which she said had disappeared and 5 million to cover nine weeks of vacations for her and family members every year.

"She is not, in the context of this case, wealthy," her lawyer, Cusworth, said. The ruling said she had been forced to sell 15.6 million pounds of assets - including horses worth 10 million and 2.1 million pounds worth of jewellery - to make ends meet while she waited for the final settlement.

He said her demands should be seen in the context that Mohammed had a 2 million pound bill for buying strawberries one summer for his country estate, northeast of London.

However, the sheikh's lawyer, Dyer, described many of Haya's claims as "absurd" or "ridiculous", and said they were totally at odds with her stated desire for her children to lead a normal life.

He said the judge's ruling was likely to be "the largest financial remedy award certainly ever ordered and I imagine ever made by a family court".

The previous largest sum ever thought to have been ordered by a British court was the 453.6 million pounds that Russian billionaire Farkad Akhmedov was instructed to pay for his 2016 divorce settlement.

Mohammed, 72, had offered to pay regular maintenance sums of 10 million pounds a year, and provide a 500 million pound guarantee which Dyer said would "hang like a sword of Damocles" over his head and that of his family.

In his conclusion, Moor said he found Haya's evidence to be "palpably honest".

To Mohammed, the princess's lawyer Cusworth said, "the actual value of money is very different to any normal mortal involved in this case or any litigant who normally comes before this court".

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/dub...fe-730-million-to-settle-custody-case-2663199