Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

Princess Haya: The princess, the sheikh and the £550m divorce settlement

Princess Haya: The princess, the sheikh and the £550m divorce settlement

It's described as the biggest divorce case in British legal history - a settlement of more than £500m involving the billionaire ruler of Dubai and his estranged wife.

The UK's High Court on Tuesday awarded a lump sum settlement of £251.5m to Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain - the 47-year-old daughter of Jordan's former King Hussein.

She is the youngest of six wives of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum - the multi-billionaire ruler of Dubai, prime minister of the UAE and influential horse-racing owner.

The judgment provides Princess Haya with sums to cover the cost of running two multi-million pound properties - one next to London's Kensington Palace, as well as her main residence in Egham, Surrey.

There is also provision for a substantial "security budget" as well as holidays, salaries and accommodation for both a nurse and a nanny, armoured vehicles for the family, and the cost of maintaining various ponies and pets.

It has also awarded secured payments of £5.6m-a-year to each of her two children, a 14-year-old daughter and a nine-year old son. These are to be secured with a £290m guarantee.

'In fear of her life'


This long-running court custody battle has thrown a spotlight on the normally closed world of Middle Eastern royal families.

Princess Haya fled from Dubai to Britain with her children in 2019, saying she was in fear of her life, after discovering Sheikh Mohammed had previously abducted two of his other daughters - Sheikha Latifa and Sheikha Shamsa - and rendered them back to Dubai against their will.

Sheikh Mohammed, 72, who is also a giant figure in the horse-racing world, has denied the abductions - despite a 2020 High Court judgement saying they were, in all probability, true. He published a poem called "You lived, You Died", widely assumed to threaten the princess after discovering she was having an affair with her British ex-Army bodyguard.

Princess Haya continued to receive threats after moving to Britain, with messages saying "we can reach you anywhere" and she has since spent vast sums on security for fear her children would be abducted and flown back to Dubai.

Princess Haya fled from Dubai to Britain with her children in 2019, saying she was in fear of her life


The High Court ruled this year that Sheikh Mohammed had illegally hacked the mobile phones of Princess Haya, her bodyguards and her legal team, which includes the Tory peer Baroness Shackleton.

The hack was made using invasive spyware called Pegasus, which infects targeted phones and was produced by the Israeli firm NSO Group. Sheikh Mohammed said he had no hacked material in his possession and no surveillance had been undertaken with his express or implied authority. However, the president of the Family Division of the High Court in the UK found to the contrary.

In the divorce judgment, Mr Justice Moor, decided that, given earlier rulings, the princess and her two children were particularly vulnerable. He said they needed watertight security to ensure their continued safety in the UK. The main threat they faced was not from outside sources, he said, but from their father, a man who had access to the full weight of the state.

"There is a clear and ever-present risk to these children that is almost certain to persist until they obtain their independence," the judge said. As to Princess Haya, he added: "There will remain a clear and ever-present risk to [Princess Haya] for the remainder of her life, whether it be from [Sheikh Mohammed] or just from the normal terrorist and other threats."

The court was told of a security assessment that put the risk to Princess Haya and her children as "severe". The judge subsequently awarded funds to cover the running costs of armoured vehicles for transporting the family.

Sheikh Mohammed, 72, is prime minister of the UAE and a giant figure in the horse-racing world


The High Court judge said he had done his best to reach a reasonable conclusion, given "the exceptional wealth and remarkable standard of living enjoyed by these children during the marriage". He said that took the case "entirely out of the ordinary".

Lawyers for Princess Haya insisted she had made no claims for her own future needs but she was criticised during court hearings for her lavish spending. Her son, for example, aged just nine, has been given three expensive cars as he was "accustomed to being given cars as gifts". This was, said the judge, a legitimate criticism.

The judgment includes evidence provided by Princess Haya that she had been blackmailed by members of her security staff over an affair she had with one of them. She made several payments to four of these staff, some of which came from her children's bank accounts. To correct this, she said she had sold jewellery to the value of over a £1m and had since had to sell more.

Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai has said heirlooms given to his former wife would be sent on to her. These included ballet shoes given to her by the world famous dancers Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. He also said he has removed the online poem ascribed to him, which the princess perceived as a threat to her life.

He said he had no intention of causing harm to the princess.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×