Dubai's Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the sixth wife of Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has left her husband and ran away from UAE with two of her children along with 31 million pounds. She is reportedly hiding in London.
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is the vice-president and prime minister of Dubai and is worth $16 billion.
Princess Haya is the half-sister of King Abdullah of Jordan. She first sought asylum in Germany for herself and her two children, 11-year-old Jalila and seven-year-old Zayed.
Reports state that a German diplomat helped her escape her husband, putting the diplomatic relations between the two countries at great risk. News website Times of India states that the Sheikh had requested the German authorities to return his wife but the request was denied.
This incident is very similar to the one when Sheikh's daughter, Princess Latifa, tried to escape her father's tyranny in 2018. However, she was caught and was taken back to Dubai.
Also, Sheikh's other daughter, Sheika Shamsa al-Maktoum, tried running away from her family home in Surrey at the age of 19. She was intercepted and has been 'kept safe' in Dubai ever since.
Princess Haya's Instagram page has not been active since February. Her page usually posted about her charitable work. She has also not made any public appearance since May 20.
Another thing which showed that all was not well between the Sheikh and his junior wife was their conspicuous absence from the Epsom Derby in the UK. The Sheik hadn't missed the Derby in 28 years and this was his first time. His stables near Suffolk were also shut.
According to News.com.au, a source had said, "Show jumping was her passion. She was always there, very hands on. Then one day she was gone."
"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," Radha Stirling, the Chief Executive of watchdog Detained in Dubai, was quoted as saying by IANS.
"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," she added.
