Princess Haya, the wife of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, has fled to London in fear for her life.
The 45-year-old princess married the Dubai billionaire in 2004, becoming his sixth and youngest wife.
The Oxford-educated Haya is hiding in a $107 million townhouse in the Kensington Palace Gardens with her children Sheikha Al Jalila,11, and Sheikh Zayed, 7. She is seeking asylum in Britain and a divorce from her husband, according to the BBC. Before making it to London, she unsuccessfully sought asylum in Germany.
Her husband, owner of the Godolphin horse racing stables, has 23 children but just two with her.
Princess Haya reportedly fled Dubai after discovering more information about the return of Sheikha Latifa, one of her husband’s daughters, to the UAE. According to the New York Times, Sheikha Latifa fled Dubai last year on a French yacht destined for India and then the United States. She was captured in the Indian Ocean and forcibly returned to the UAE.
At the time, the princess helped the UAE recover from the public relations nightmare. She hosted Mary Robinson, the United Nations human rights commissioner and former Irish president, to reassure the public Sheikha Latifa was safe.
After pictures of Sheikha Latifa were released in December, Haya said it was “unimaginable that this thing has gone so far from the truth.”
Sheikha Latifa hasn’t been seen since.
The BBC reported that disturbing facts related to Sheikha Latifa’s attempted escape and mounting hostility from the Dubai ruler’s family made her feel unsafe in the country and prompted her escape.
Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, 69, has expressed most of his anguish over Princess Haya’s disappearance on his poetry website and Instagram.
“Let the past be; soften your heart/ Forgive my mistakes, and reward my good deeds,” the poem, titled “Affection in your eyes,” read. “In you, I have faith and what’s destined is destined/ For every occurrence, a reason exists.”
Accusing an unnamed woman of “treachery and betrayal” on Instagram, the Dubai ruler is clearly unhappy with the situation.
The estranged princess is the daughter of King Hussein, the former ruler of Jordan. Her half-brother, King Abdullah II, is the current ruler of the country. Well-established diplomatic ties between the UAE, the United Kingdom, and Jordan will likely create diplomatic headaches as the situation is sorted out.
Nearly 250,000 Jordanians work in the United Arab Emirates and send money back to the country. Heightened tensions with the UAE could cost Jordan economically as a result. Haya’s asylum request could also interfere with the U.K.’s close relationship with the UAE.
Under Islamic law, men can easily end a marriage. Women, on the other hand, face tough legal barriers. In a June 22 Instagram post, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum seemed open to a divorce.
“We have an ailment that no medicine can cure. No experts can remedy this,” he wrote.
