The ruler of Dubai abused link his ex-wifeon an extraordinary scale, a UK judge ruled on Thursday, ending a lengthylegal battle between the couple over their two children.
The abuse by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, 72, of Princess HayaBint Al Hussein, 47, was “conducted on a scale which is entirely outsidethe ordinary circumstances of cases heard in the family courtlink in this jurisdiction”, judge AndrewMcFarlane said.
The sheikh “consistently displayed coercive and controlling behaviour withrespect to those members of his family who he regards as behaving contraryto his will,” he added in a ruling at London’s High Courtlink.
Princess Haya will now have sole responsibility for their two children,daughter Jalila, 14, and son Zayed, 10, with regards to their medical careand schooling.
“The decision to afford the mother sole responsibility for these importantmatters is justified by the need to reduce the potential for continuingharm to the children,” McFarlane said.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the vice-president and prime minister of theUnited Arab Emirates, is allowed to contact their children indirectly, suchas through phone calls.
His behaviour towards his ex-wife through “threats, poems, coordinatingpress reports, covertly arranging to purchase property immediatelyoverlooking hers, phone-hacking or in the conduct of this litigation, hasbeen abusive to a high, indeed exorbitant, degree,” the judge ruled.
Princess Haya studied at the University of Oxford and represented Jordan atthe 2000 Sydney Olympics as a show jumper.
The couple married in 2004 in Sheikh Mohammed’s second official marriage.He divorced her under Sharia law in 2019 without her knowledge.
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She and her children live in a London house near Kensington Palace and onan estate west of the capital that she inherited from her father, the lateking Hussein of Jordan.
The High Court link ruled in 2020 that thesheikh had submitted her to a “campaign of fear and intimidation”, forcingher to flee to London.
In December, he was ordered to pay his ex-wife and children around £550million ($725 million) in what is thought to be the highest divorcesettlement set by an English court link.
The sheikh, who operates stables in Britain and other countries, has had aclose relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, sharing her love of horseracing.
Princess Haya said in a statement after the ruling that the “last few yearshave been a frightening journey” and thanked the courtlink.
A representative for the sheikh said he “maintains his denial of theallegations made in these contentious proceedings”. -APP/AFP
