Dubai's Ruler Has Been Obliged To Give A Huge Amount As Divorce Compensation To His Ex-Wife

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, has been directed to pay about 550 million to his former wife and two children in it is believed to be the highest award of its sort ever made by an English court.

According to Judge Philip Moor, the majority of the money given to Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, Jordan's half-sister, is to safeguard them from the severe risk posed by the sheikh himself.

Princess Haya, 47, originally left the UAE with her two children to England in April 2019, stating she was scared of her husband.

Later that year, a London court concluded that Mohammed had engaged in a campaign of threats and intimidation against her, as well as abducting and mistreating two of his kids from a previous marriage.

She is not seeking an award for herself other than security, Judge Moor concluded this week.

He also requested that Mohammed, who is also the UAE's vice president and prime minister, pay her for the belongings she lost as a consequence of the divorce. He plans to pay Haya 251.5 million in three months for the care of her UK residences, which will satisfy the money she claims she owes for jewellery and racehorses, as well as her future security needs.

The sheikh was also ordered to pay 3 million for their children's education, Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, as well as 9.6 million in arrears.

He will also pay 11.2 million per year for the children's upkeep and security when they reach adulthood under the terms of the agreement. These payments will be secured by a £290 million bond held by HSBC bank.

Despite being touted by some London attorneys as the greatest public award ever ordered by an English family court, the ultimate sum is still less than half of the 1.4 billion Haya had originally requested.

Moor, on the other hand, stated that he would not give Haya's financial demands carte blanche, but rather would assess them with a very precise view to the special circumstances of this case, such as the extremely sumptuous and unprecedented style of life enjoyed by these parties in Dubai.

During nearly seven hours of testimony, Haya claimed that a substantial one-time payment would let her and her children escape the sheikh's grip.

According to the President of the Family Division in England and Wales, a senior judge, Mohammed had allegedly instructed the phones of Haya and her counsel to be hacked using the Pegasus state security software.