Though we spend a lot of time covering the British royal family’s life in the tabloids, they’re far from the only scandalous royals the world has to offer. Over in Dubai, a princess was recently revealed to have taken $7.5 million from her daughter’s bank account in order to pay hush money to her blackmailing bodyguards to hide a steamy affair. Her husband, the ruler of Dubai, consequently decreed her infidelity a capital offense punishable by death.
Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein recently won a staggering, potentially world record-breaking settlement in her divorce from Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum during a case which stretched on for almost three years. Haya fled from Dubai in 2019, taking her two children, now aged 10 and 14, with her after her alleged affair with her bodyguard was discovered by her now ex-husband.
The Alleged Affair And Blackmail Attempt
The alleged affair was cited during court proceedings by Mohammed’s lawyer, Nigel Dyer, who claimed the exorbitant amount of money requested by Haya was a ploy to enrich herself while claiming it was all for the children.
Haya herself, according to the Globe, has acknowledged the allegations of the affair by admitting she did take a large sum of money from her daughter’s bank account after she was blackmailed by her bodyguards, saying, “I was scared and that was the money available in that account.” Regardless, the judge in the divorce case did not mention the alleged affair in his ruling.
An Opulent Lifestyle Exposed By Divorce
Over the course of the case, Mohammed’s finances were exposed, revealing that the former couple lived an extremely “opulent” lifestyle. The sheik is worth an estimated $4 billion and would vacation with Haya and their two children on a $400 million superyacht, often flew on a custom Boeing 747, and had 80 servants to wait on them in their various homes and villas.
So How Much Was Princess Haya Awarded?
The judge in the divorce ruled that Haya would receive a jaw dropping, and possibly record breaking, $720 million as a settlement from the divorce. This was almost half of the original figure requested by Haya, which was $1.1 billion, but the judge reduced many of Haya’s claims, which dropped that number down significantly.
For instance, Haya requested $42 million to replace her haute couture wardrobe she was forced to leave behind in Dubai after she fled to Great Britain. Since she could only provide video of the items she left, which the judge said he couldn’t accurately place a value on, he instead awarded her only $1.3 million.
Despite the reductions he made on the case, the judge ended up awarding Haya the staggering sum because the former couple’s children “should be able to have a lifestyle that is not entirely out of kilter with that enjoyed by them in Dubai.” Though there are bound to be unavoidable lifestyle changes for Haya and her children, the over half a billion dollars that are currently warming her pockets are sure to provide more than enough for her family.
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