A British woman who claims she was married to the late King of Saudi Arabia has won an early round of a multi-mil¬lion pound legal battle with his son, as she threatens to expose details of her late husbands harem.
Janan Harb says she was secretly married to the late King Fand – then a prince and minister of the interior of Saudi Arabia-in 1968 when she was 19, and he had promised to provide for her financially for the rest of her life.
But she said she ones forced to leave the cmmtry several years later, because his family disappmved of their union. Mrs Harb says she is owed a lump sum of Em million – promisedtoher 11 years ago -plustheownership of twohigh¬value apartments in central London.
She has warned Prince Abdul Aaia – son of the We King Fatal – that she will ’emo. what it is really like to be mar¬ried to a Saudi dog Abe dace not pay up.
Prince Abdul has argued the High Court in England had no jurisdiction to by Ms Harb’s claim because he had ‘state immunity’.
Rat a High Court judge today ruled against him after a hearing in London.
Mrs Justice Rose said the prince could not rely on a defence of state immumity to defeat Mrs Herb’s claim.
Alter the ruling, Mrs Harb, who is in her 6os, told reporters that she was ‘very happy and relieved.
‘After m years of persistence I am very happy and relieved,’ Mrs Hart told reporters after today’s ruling.
If the prince is going to appeal, I am going to accept the offer of the movie tithe book I have written – I am going to spill the beans:
Mrs Herb says Rime Abdul Aria had told her that he was prepared to honour the [ems of his father’s promise – and had offered to pay a lumps= of Ere million and to transfer to her then* of two central London pnopenies.
The judge said Prince Abdul Asia had not made any response’as reseals the accuracy or othenvise’ of Mis Herb’s allegations.
His submissions had been limitedto contesting the juris¬diffion of the court%
Mrs Justice Rose said she had scen a letter tom the Roy¬al Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London saying the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supportedthe prince’s claim for state immu¬nity. MrsJustice Rose had analysed) gal argument at a High Court hearing in London in May and handed down her rul¬ing at a hearing in London today. The prince was not at today’s hearing.
Mrs Justice Rose said Mrs Harb alleged that the prince had made his offer at a meeting in 2003, two years before King Pahrl died
The judge saidithad been assumed that the prince would have been acting. King Fand’s representative
She said if Mrs Harb had brought the claim when King Fand was alive- and serving as lung- both he and the prince would have been able to &aim ‘sovereign immunity’.
Mrs Justice Rose said she had he® asked to decide whether, when King Pand died, and ceased to be head of state of Saudi Arabia, inummity continued to extend to everything he did when head of state.
The judge said there was no evidence of a similar claim being brought before.
A spokesman for law firm Neumann, which represent¬ed Mrs Herb, said later. ‘Mrs Herb is passionate about sharing bee personal account of what it is lastly like to he muffed. a Saudi King and believes the exposure will be of public interest.
