Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein, who is the daughter of Jordan’s former ruler King Hussein, is the youngest of the Sheikh’s six wives. She arrived in Britain in 2019 claiming she feared for her life and was “terrified” of her husband, accusing him of abducting his daughters Sheikha Latifa and Sheikha Shamsa, and forcing them to return to Dubai.  

The Sheikh, who is the UAE prime minister and an influential horse-racing owner, denied the allegations. However, a previous High Court judgement stated that the claims were likely to be true.
High Court judges also concluded that the 72-year-old had hacked his ex-wife’s phone, and attempted to buy a £30 million estate next door to the Princess’ Berkshire home in a “significant threat to her security”.

Since moving to the UK, Princess Haya and Sheikh Mohammed have been locked in numerous legal battles over custody, finances and other critical matters.  

High Court ruling awards £550 million for Princess Haya’s protection  

The High Court in London has now ruled that the Sheikh must pay Princess Haya around £550 million, which is believed to be the largest settlement award of its kind in English legal history.  

The money is for partly the upkeep of Princess’ two multi-million-pound residences in the UK, including a property next to Kensington Palace. It’s also earmarked for the children’s education, leisure and holidays for the family, the upkeep of their pets and for jewellery and clothing.  

But one of the unique aspects of this case is the upfront sum that Sheikh Muhammed will have to pay for Princess Haya’s security – against himself. The Dubai ruler is required to make a one-off payment of around £251 million within three months of the ruling, part of which is for his ex-wife’s security costs. This will include the cost of armoured cars, security staff and other related expenses.  

In the divorce judgement, Mr Justice Moor responded to claims that the security risk to Princess Haya and her husband could be deemed to be “severe” – with the main threat coming from a man who has access to the full weight of the state. The judge stated:

"There is a clear and ever-present risk to these children that is almost certain to persist until they obtain their independence,"  

"There will remain a clear and ever-present risk to [Princess Haya] for the remainder of her life, whether it be from [Sheikh Mohammed] or just from the normal terrorist and other threats."  

For expert divorce advice you can trust, and to sort out even the most complicated money matters, you can rely on Liverpool divorce solicitor Tracey Miller Family Law. Get in touch to find out more.