Dubai ruler ordered to pay ex-wife Princess Haya US$730 million in divorce settlement

A British court has ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to £550 million (US$730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.

A High Court judge said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay £251.5 million to his UK-based sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, and make ongoing payments for their children Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, underpinned by a bank guarantee of £290 million.

The total amount the children receive could be more or less than £290 million, depending on factors including how long they live and whether they reconcile with their father.

The settlement includes £11 million a year to cover security costs for Princess Haya and the children while they are minors.

In a November ruling that was made public on Tuesday, Judge Philip Moor said the family needed “watertight security”, and that “absolutely uniquely”, the main threat to them came from Sheikh Mohammed, rather than outside sources.

Haya, 47, fled to the UK in 2019 and sought custody of her two children through the British courts. The princess, who is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, said she was “terrified” of her husband, who is alleged to have ordered the forced return to the Gulf emirate of two of his daughters.

The long battle in Britain’s family courts has disclosed personal and financial details about the powerful but publicity-shy Gulf royals who are among the world’s wealthiest people. Sheikh Mohammed, 72, is also the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, and a major horse breeder. The founder of the successful Godolphin horse-racing stable, he is on friendly terms with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.

Haya, a graduate of Oxford University, is also a keen equestrian and competed in show jumping for Jordan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.