Princess Haya bint Hussein is said to be receiving roughly $735 million from her ex-husband, the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum as part of one of the biggest ever divorce settlements. This includes a lump sum payment of around $333 million to make a “clean break” from her Al Maktoum, much of which will be used for security services needed to keep herself and her children safe from kidnappers. The rest of the money will be for the maintenance of their 14-year-old and 9-year-old kids for the rest of their lives, the Daily Mail reports.
Princess Haya managed to flee Dubai and now has a nice divorce settlement from Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed. His two daughters weren’t so lucky. He kidnapped and detained Princesses Shamsa and Latifa for wanting an independent life not under his thumb. https://t.co/gjcm3J6LCZ pic.twitter.com/CJahzm7JHT
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) December 22, 2021
- How much money do kids need? Roughly £385 million, apparently. The Sheikh has to provide that amount of money in an HSBC bank guarantee for his kids which includes nearly $15 million in annual child support, money to cover their education, back child support, and future security costs.
- Princess Haya’s lawyers argued that she needed protection from Sheikh Mohammed. The security needed to protect her from kidnapping is said to be used against her ex-husband, who is believed to have forcibly returned two of his daughters with one of his other wives, Princesses Latifa and Shamsa, back to the UAE when they attempted to leave.
- The princess is said to have paid hush money for an affair. Princess Haya’s affair with British bodyguard Russell Flowers is what caused the breakdown of her marriage to Sheikh Mohammed, but before it came out, it was revealed that she paid roughly $10 million to “blackmailers” on her security staff to keep things hush-hush. Clearly that went well.
- Princess Haya fled Dubai after her affair became public. Her lawyers told the court that she was terrified after a loaded gun was left in her bedroom and she was told that a helicopter would come to the palace to take her to prison. This is one of the biggest reasons she continues to need security, they argued.
- The $735 million settlement is less than what she hoped for. Sure, that’s more money than anyone could ever use in a lifetime, but Princess Haya’s lawyers had been looking for about $1.2 billion more than what she received. They claimed that this amount was needed to offer the princess and her two children ongoing protection from Sheikh Mohammed.
