PA ImagesPrincess Haya Al Hussein, wife of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has reportedly fled the country with £31 million after breaking off her marriage.
The 45-year-old, who is the half-sister of the King of Jordan, married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004. Together they had two children, seven-year-old son Zayed and 11-year-old daughter Al Jalila.
Sheikh Mohammed is the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, as well as leader of the Emirate of Dubai. He is believed to be worth £9 billion.
Princess Haya has not been seen in public since May and her social media accounts have not been active since February.
Following the break-up of her marriage she is thought to have initially fled to Germany to seek political asylum as unconfirmed reports in Arab media suggest a German diplomat helped her ‘escape’ from Dubai, leading to a potential diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
She is said to have filed for divorce from her husband and taken £31 million with her to start her new life.
It has been claimed German authorities refused a request from Sheikh Mohammed to return his wife to Dubai.
PA ImagesAccording to sources cited by The Daily Beast, Princess Haya’s preference is to to live in London, where she is currently said to be residing at a secret location.
A poem speaking of ‘betrayal’ was recently posted on an Instagram account linked to the Dubai ruler. It included phrases such as ‘you cheated the most precious thing’ and ‘I gave you trust and space…the biggest mistake you did was to lie’, though there is no confirmation Sheikh Mohammed was responsible for the post.
Last year, one of the ruler’s daughters, Princess Latifa, tried to flee Dubai and start a new life though she was captured on a boat off the Indian coast.
Princess Latifa said she was forced to try and flee the country because of abuse. Human rights groups claim she is being held in captivity in Dubai.
PA ImagesAccording to the MailOnline, Radha Stirling, chief executive of watchdog Detained in Dubai, spoke of Princess Haya’s apparent escape, saying:
We have received multiple reports regarding the story of Princess Haya, from sources close to the governments in Jordan, and the UAE; all of which indicate that she has sought political asylum in Germany.
We cannot comment on the veracity of these reports, but such an event would clearly represent a powerful indictment against the UAE and against Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid personally, as well as have potentially dramatic repercussions on the relationships between the countries involved.
PA ImagesRadha continued:
Whenever someone applies for political asylum, obviously, it is because their lives are in danger, and because they have suffered severe abuses and violations of their human rights.
We already know that Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter, fled the UAE seeking asylum and alleging unspeakable abuse at the hands of her father.
Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed’s wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany. This raises serious questions as to what prompted her to flee, and why she felt unable to simply file for divorce and relocate herself and her children without fear of reprisal from the Ruler of Dubai.
German authorities have refused to comment on reports of Princess Haya’s escape from her husband.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.