Despite being married to the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, she is commonly referred to as Princess Haya of Jordan. Yes, marrying one of the richest monarchs in the world puts you in the public eye. Even more so when you flee to Britain to escape him. This highly unusual action has made her a subject of speculation ever since she fled with her children. There is no doubt that the whole world is watching the outcome of the case she brought in British courts. After years of picturesque marriage, recent events have speculators believing there is more than meets the eye. Let’s learn more about this princess, shall we?
Who is Princess Haya?
She was born Princess Haya bint Hussein on the 3. May 1974 in Hamman. She is obviously of royal descent, her father was King Hussein of Jordan and her mother was his third wife, Queen Alia. The king and queen also had a son, Prince Ali bin Hussein, and an adopted daughter, Abir Muhaisen. Tragedy struck their close-knit unit when Haya was just three years old. In 1977, while in a helicopter, her mother was involved in a fatal accident that claimed her life.
In 1999, King Hussein equally gave up the ghost after complications related to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after his death, the crown was passed on to Haya’s half-brother, King Abdullah II.
The princess received all her formal education in Britain. It all started in 1985 when she was enrolled at Bristol’s Badminton School for Girls. Soon after, she was transferred to Branston School in Dorset. Between 1993 and 1995, Princess Haya attended St Hilda’s College, Oxford University. After her studies, she received a BA degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).
In addition to her formal training, the PrincessI received intensive riding training. This introduced her to international equestrian competitions at the age of 13 and brought her numerous prizes and awards. In 1992 she was awarded the bronze medal in individual jumping at the 7th Pan-Arab Games in Syria. After years of training in Ireland and Germany, she qualified for the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia (2000). There she represented Jordan in the show jumping category and acted as the country’s flag bearer.
Her marriage to the Dubai Ruler
Already in April 2004, the princess tied the knotwith Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He has held a number of titles, the highest of which is Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The ceremony itself took place at Al-Baraka Palace in Amman. December 2, 2007 was the day she gave birth to her first child, Sheikha Jalila by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. On January 7, 2012, she gave birth to her second child, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
For years, the princess spoke in high regard about her marriage and her husband. They share a love of horses and this seemed to bring them closer together. Their marriage seemed perfect, but everything started to unravel when Sheikha Latifa, one of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, tried to elope in 2018. It wasn’t long before she was captured and brought back, leaving Princess Haya raised and raised with her children.
Why Princess Haya fled the United Arab Emirates to the UK
Fast forward to the present, Princess Hayabe applied for a forced marriage protection order and an abuse prohibition order in the UK High Court in London. She is also applying for sole custody of her children. The exact background events that led to this are not known. Still, on June 30, 2019, it was reported that she had fled Dubai with her children and a whopping £31million.
The reports went on to say that she feared for her life and initially applied for asylum in Germany. At the time, it was speculated that she was being escorted into the country by a German diplomat. Her husband’s first response came in the form of a poem on Instagram, in both Arabic and English, accusing his wife of treason. Shortly thereafter, on July 5, 2019, he sued her in the UK High Court of Justice for custody of their children. The legal dispute is not yet over.