Dubai Ruler Ex Wife Succeeds in Her Battle for Freedom | Princess Haya

Dubai, a city boasting of freedom and openness, is internally defected in the areas it highlights as its USPs. Additionally, it floats over a widely poor record of human rights, where women live within the disguised reality of repression. One of such women is Princess Haya bint Hussein, the estranged wife of Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who fled the so-appearing magnificence of Dubai’s royal house to live in the United Kingdom.

Nearly two years after leaving the cage of her husband, Princess Haya won the legal battle against the Sheikh Mohammed in a London high court. Recently, a senior British judge conclude that the Jordanian Princess was a victim of “exorbitant” domestic abuse and awarded her the sole responsibility of their children. The judge said, she was responsible to take decisions related to their education and health completely by herself.

As per the previous hearing, the Emirati ruler also had to pay around $733 million to Princess Haya for the long-term security and maintenance of their two children, Sheikha Jalila (14) and Sheikh Zayed (10). Besides, his relationship with the children was restricted to phone calls and messages, while a direct contact was not allowed.

President of the Family Division in England and Wales, Andrew McFarlane said Sheikh Mohammed had “consistently displayed coercive and controlling behaviour” against the family members who defied will.

The Dubai ruler threatened Princess Haya for her life, and even ordered hacking of the phones of his wife, her lawyers and a British lawmaker using Israel’s Pegasus spyware.

"His Highness’s behaviour towards the mother...whether by threats, poems, coordinating press reports, covertly arranging to purchase property immediately overlooking hers, phone-hacking or in the conduct of this litigation, has been abusive to a high, indeed exorbitant, degree," McFarlane said.

Princess Haya thanked the British justice system and said, “The last few years have been a frightening journey and yet the sanctuary, protection and extraordinary compassion we have experienced in England have strengthened our belief in the enduring power of both humanity and justice.”

It was a conclusion of two years of legal proceedings that cost more than 70 million pounds (around $92 million) in lawyers’ fees. Besides, it was also a rare case that successfully ended in freedom of a woman from Dubai’s royal family, who spent most of her years under oppression and disrespect.