This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
Published on July 3, 2019, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, is in hiding in London and fears for her life after fleeing her husband.
Sheikh Mohammed, a 69-year-old billionaire racehorse owner, has posted a furious poem on Instagram accusing an unidentified woman of 'treachery and betrayal.'
Princess Haya, 45, married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004, becoming his sixth and 'junior wife.' The couple has a complex history, with Princess Haya reportedly discovering disturbing facts behind the mysterious return to Dubai last year of Sheikha Latifa, one of the ruler's daughters.
Sheikha Latifa fled 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. Princess Haya then defended Dubai's reputation over the incident, alongside former Irish president Mary Robinson.
However, human rights advocates said Sheikha Latifa was forcibly abducted against her will. Since then, Princess Haya has allegedly learned new facts about the case and came under increasing hostility and pressure from members of her husband's extended family until she no longer felt safe there.
A source close to her said she fears she may now be abducted herself and 'rendered' back to Dubai. The UAE embassy in London has declined to comment on what it says is a personal matter between two individuals.
The case poses a diplomatic headache for Britain, which has close ties to the UAE, and is also awkward for Jordan since Princess Haya is the half-sister of Jordan's King Abdullah.
