Prince of Jordan hugs his sister Princess Haya in a secret London location as she battles
The estranged sixth wife of Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum is being supported in her secret London hideaway by her Jordanian prince brother, it was revealed today.
Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, 45, is battling Dubai’s billionaire ruler in the High Court to secure a forced marriage protection order for their two children – and stop them leaving Britain.
And today she was supported by her younger brother Prince Ali bin Hussein, 43, who hugged her as she wore a fleece with the Jordanian flag on her sleeve in a picture he shared on Twitter from her bolthole.
Princess Haya claims to have fled Dubai with her two children to hide in the UK ‘in fear of her life’ after becoming estranged from Sheik Mohammed.
Haya and Prince Ali are the children of King Hussein, who was succeeded on the throne in Amman by Abdullah II in 1999.
King Abdullah has visited Sheik Mohammed’s UAE twice in the past month – including one Abu Dhabi trip on the eve of the first hearing – in what diplomatic sources said were attempts to maintain good relations with the Gulf state in the wake of the court case.
And sources close to Princess Haya said her decision to fight her legal battle in London was meant partly to spare King Abdullah’s blushes.
Princess Haya, 45, attended the second day of a preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday where it was decided the full hearing will be held on November 11.
The president of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, allowed the media to report that Princess Haya has applied for wardship of their children, as well as for a non-molestation order.
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has demanded the ‘summary return’ of his children to the United Arab Emirates, a country with strong links with Haya’s home country.
While Jordan’s official media made no mention of the case today, Haya’s countrymen took to social media to express solidarity with Princess Haya.
Princess Haya wed the 70-year-old sheik, who is also vice-president of the UAE, in 2004 in what was believed to be his sixth marriage. He has more than 20 children by different wives.
Haya is the daughter of Jordan’s late Queen Alia, a popular figure with Palestinian roots who died in a helicopter crash in 1977.
The princess, who competed in equestrian events in the 2000 Olympics, and her brother Prince Ali are seen by many Jordanians as charismatic members of the Hashemite royal family.
Jordan and the UAE, both US allies, are eager to show the case will have no bearing on their relations, analysts said.
In a move seen as aimed at stressing their close ties, King Abdullah visited the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, just a few days before the London court hearing and was received by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan.
State-owned Jordanian papers and television gave extensive coverage to the visit, showing the king walking the red carpet and being received by a guard of honour. It was King Abdullah’s second visit to the UAE in a month.
Wednesday’s hearing comes as Sheik Mohammed, one of the world’s richest men, shared a poem in Arabic called ‘the swords of the sufferer’ which describes overcoming life’s challenges.
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