Dubai ruler’s wife flees with children, seeks political asylum

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s wife Princess Haya has fled the kingdom with 31 million pounds and their children, a year after his daughter Princess Latifa fled the UAE but was captured off the Goa coast, media reports said.

According to The Sun, the Oxford-educated Princess fled to start a new life and has already filed for divorce from the ruler. It is believed that a German diplomat helped her escape and is now hiding somewhere in London, another report said quoting the local media.

This triggered a diplomatic crisis between Dubai and Berlin after the latter rejected the Sheikh’s request to return his wife and children. Reports suggest that the German authorities had also provided security to the escapees and that the Princess has sought political asylum.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed has accused her wife of betrayal on Instagram. The Sun claimed that the Princess has not been seen since February.

The Princess, who is the daughter of former Jordan ruler King Hussein, married the Dubai ruler in 2004. She is a former Olympian athlete and a UN Messenger of Peace, as per her website.