The wife of the Emir of Dubai, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, who fled to London with her two children several months ago, has been called to the Jordanian diplomat. That's from a document from the British Foreign Office. The princess appeared in London on Tuesday for a family court hearing, as shown on British media photos.
She had filed applications there in the summer for warnings against her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktum, the ruler of Dubai. The petitions related to domestic violence and protection against forced marriage.
According to a joint statement from that time, it is about the couple's children. Divorce and finances did not matter, they said. Also for the remainder of this week hearings are scheduled in the case. Further details from the process were initially unknown. Although British media were partially approved, reporting is subject to severe restrictions.
Spectacular escape attempt by Sheikh Latifa failed
Haya is the sixth wife of the Emir and half-sister of the Jordanian king Abdullah II. The sheikh is said to have between 20 and 30 children. She is already the third woman trying to escape from the environment of the Emir.
In February last year, an adult daughter of the emir undertook a spectacular escape attempt. Sheikh Latifa tried to leave the country by jet ski and yacht. According to supporters of Latifa, she was eventually stopped by a special force off the Indian coast and forcibly returned. Her older sister Shamsa reportedly tried to flee in 2000, but failed as well.
Haya is a friend of the British Royals, according to the Guardian, and has an 85 million pound (about 95 million euro) expensive house near Kensington Palace. She attended private schools in the United Kingdom and studied philosophy, politics and economics at the prestigious Oxford University. She also competed for Jordan in the Olympic Games and was President of the World Equestrian Federation for eight years.