Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, has left her husband – a highly unusual move for a senior royal in the UAE.
The princess is now said to be hiding in a townhouse in central London.
She was conspicuously absent from Royal Ascot this year, despite being an Olympic rider and a regular at races.
Sources told the BBC she was in fear for her life as she prepared for a court battle with her husband.
Princess Haya was born in May 1974. Her father was King Hussein of Jordan, and her mother was Queen Alia al-Hussein. She was just three years old when her mother was killed in a helicopter crash in the south of the country.
The current ruler of Jordan, King Abdullah II, is her brother. The princess spent a lot of time in the UK as a child. She was educated at the private, all-girls Badminton School near Bristol, before studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University.
She has previously told interviewers that she has a passion for falconry, shooting and heavy machinery, and she claims to be the only woman licensed to drive heavy trucks in Jordan.
She took up horse riding as a young girl and found a passion for the sport, and in her 20s she pursued a career as a full-time professional equestrian athlete. The highlight of her riding career came when she represented Jordan in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and was her country’s flag bearer.
On 10 April 2004, aged 30, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed – the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai. He was 53 at the time, and Princess Haya was his sixth and “junior” wife. He reportedly has 23 children by his different wives.
Like her, he was keen on horses: he was the founder and owner of Godolphin horse racing stables. The couple were wed in a ceremony in Amman. In the years since, Princess Haya has spoken effusively in public about her relationship with Sheikh Mohammed, painting a picture of perfect family life.
