For three years, there has been mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Dubai’s Sheikha Latifa after she was captured by the Indian coastguard on a yacht in international waters off India in March 2018. There has been conflicting information surrounding whether she had fled a controlled life in the palace , or had been kidnapped by people trying to extort her family for money – as her father, the UAE’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has claimed. Some even suggested that 36-year-old Latifa – who told her story in pre-recorded video messages that were released after she left the United Arab Emirates – may not be alive, despite the Dubai government releasing images over time appearing to prove it. So, what happened to Latifa? Fears for Latifa after bombshell footage Footage aired by the BBC in February 2021 showed Latifa saying she was being held captive and feared for her life. The video clip of her crouched over in a bathroom was said to have been recorded a year after her capture. 7 things to know about Monaco’s ‘Pink Palace’, home of Princess Charlene In 2018, after she was brought back to the UAE, former UN commissioner Mary Robinson visited the compound where she was living and labelled Latifa a “troubled” woman who regretted trying to flee, according to the BBC. She was also told by Latifa’s then-stepmother Princess Haya bint Hussein that the sheikh’s daughter was suffering from bipolar disorder. The UAE Embassy in London claimed at the time that she was being taken care of in Dubai by her family. In February 2021, Robinson retracted her 2018 statement and claimed on BBC’s Panorama that she and Princess Haya had been misled over the state of Latifa’s mental health. Human rights groups have on several occasions encouraged world leaders to fight for Latifa’s release. It’s not the first time one of the sheikh’s daughters has fled Latifa’s sister Sheikha Shamsa, 38, tried to escape during a family trip to the UK in 2000. As mentioned in pre-recorded video from Latifa and numerous documentaries featuring her friends and associates, the young princess was captured a month later, brought back to the UAE, and has vanished from the public view ever since. A judge in England ruled in December 2019 that the “balance of probabilities” was that their father had orchestrated the abductions of both women – referring also to Latifa’s earlier attempt to escape the UAE in 2002, when she was only 16. The Dubai ruler’s wife fled too Their father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also went through a nasty divorce after his wife Princess Haya bint Hussein – daughter of the late Jordanian King Hussein – fled to London in 2019 with her two children, Sheikha Jalila and Sheikh Zayed. Princess Haya claimed she was scared of his threats and filed a protection and non-molestation order for one of her daughters. Britain’s High Court of Justice Family Division sided with the mother, giving her full custody and ordering the sheikh to make a lump sum and annual payments for their upkeep. Why will Camilla be queen when Prince Philip wasn’t a king? Free Latifa campaign disbands In May 2021, the Free Latifa campaign, which had been working to get Latifa out of the Dubai villa where she is said to have been held against her will, called it quits after pictures appeared of Latifa in Iceland, and another of her on holiday with Sioned Taylor, a British teacher at a state-run Dubai school, according to Reuters. The campaign leaders issued a statement saying that they’d come a long way and would be leaving the UN to monitor Latifa’s next steps as they’d now achieved their goal of seeing Latifa free to travel as she wishes. Sheikha Latifa changes her tune Sheikha Latifa was seen again in images in November 2021 that appeared to prove she was alive and well. “Michelle Bachelet has met Dubai’s Sheikha Latifa, at latter’s request, in Paris,” a UN tweet read, showing the pair smiling together. “After introduction with Latifa’s legal adviser, the high commissioner and Latifa met in private. Latifa conveyed to the high commissioner that she was well and expressed her wish for respect for her privacy.” How Ronaldo lit up the world’s tallest building for his girlfriend’s birthday . @mbachelet has met Dubai’s Sheikha Latifa, at latter’s request, in Paris. After introduction with Latifa’s legal advisor, the High Commissioner & Latifa met in private. Latifa conveyed to the High Commissioner that she was well & expressed her wish for respect for her privacy. pic.twitter.com/2VxLwVAMe0 — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 18, 2022 In a statement to Agence France-Presse, her representative said that Latifa “would like to make clear that she is living as she wishes, that she is travelling as she wishes”. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .