The runaway wife of Dubai's ruler - one of the top leaders in the Middle East - has sought protection orders in a UK court.
Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's wife, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, is the third woman in the famous family to try to escape. This month, it was reported that she was hiding in London and was told she was in fear for her life.
On Tuesday, the matter began to be addressed in London.
What happened in court?
Princess Haya demanded custody of the children - with whom she left the UAE - as well as a protection order and an order to stop harassment.
(St.red The protection order is an order issued by court order that provides for safeguards, while the one against bullying refers to preventing a partner or former partner from using threats, violence or harassment).
Further details of the event are not yet known.
Who is Princess Haya?
She was born in Jordan in the Middle East and educated in private schools in Britain. Haya is the half-sister of the current ruler in Jordan, King Abdullah II. Haya Bint al-Hussein married Sheikh Mohamed in 2004 becoming his sixth wife. The 70-year-old sheikh is reported to have 23 children with various women.
Princess Haya, 45, was initially told she had fled to Germany to seek asylum, but months later she was reported to be living in London in an $ 85 million home in Kensington Palace Gardens. It is believed that she will want to stay in the UK, but if her husband wants to return to Dubati, it could cause diplomatic problems with Britain, which has good relations with the United Arab Emirates.
After her departure, the sheikh wrote a poem accusing a nameless woman of treason, which he posted on his social networks.
Why is it said he escaped?
Sources close to her said earlier this month that she had uncovered disturbing facts about the mysterious return to Dubai of one of the 70-year-old's daughter, Sheikha Latifa.
Sheikha escaped from the Emirates by sea, with the help of a Frenchman, but fell into the trap of an armed group off the coast of India. He then returned to Dubai. At the time, Princess Haya sought to protect Dubai's reputation by stressing that "Sheikha Latifa was safe at home." Human rights defenders said she had been abducted against her will.
Other sources said that the princess had received further information about the case.
Likewise, in July 2000, another of the sheikh's daughters, Shamsa Al Maktoum, then 19, escaped from a family living in Surrey, south-east England. She escaped with the Land Rover, which she abandoned on a road and then rolled over a fence and walked. The event made a lot of noise, however Shamsa was found a year later in Cambridge and returned to Dubai.
Source: BBC and CNN
