A UK court has ordered Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, to pay his ex-wife, Princess Haya, and their two children a record £500 million as a divorce settlement.
During the ruling held on Tuesday, the court said the amount is essential to protect them from the threat the ruler allegedly poses to them, Guardian UK reports.
The Judge, Philip Moor, said the family needed “water-tight security,” and that “absolutely uniquely,” the main threat to them came from Sheikh Mohammed, rather than outside sources.
Moor ordered that the sheikh should pay over £250 million upfront to Haya and provide a bank guarantee of £290 million for annual payments.
The judge said: “I am entirely satisfied that this means that, although HRH (her royal highness Haya) and the children would require security provision in any event, given their status and the general threats of terrorism and kidnap faced in such circumstances, they are particularly vulnerable and need water-tight security to ensure their continued safety and security in this country.
“Most importantly in this regard, and absolutely uniquely, the main threat they face is from HH (his highness the sheikh) himself not from outside sources. This is compounded by the full weight of the state that he has available to him as seen by his ability to make use of the Pegasus software, which is only available to governments.”
During the ruling, the high court judge also ordered that the costs of security for Haya’s lifetime should be paid upfront rather than annually.
Haya was also given £83 million a year for her household spending plus an allowance of £9 million per annum and ad hoc gifts while in Dubai.
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.
