UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Dubai: Judge Philip Moor of the U.K. family court has ordered Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to give 554 million pounds($734 million) to his estranged wife and their children as a settlement for the royal divorce case.
The court added that Sheikh Maktoum has to pay Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein 251.5 million pounds within three months. This sum will cover security and lost items like jewelry and clothing. This will enable Princess Haya to make a fresh start following her divorce.
The royal divorce case that stunned the world
72-year-old Sheikh Makhtoum has been involved in the legal battle with his 47-year-old ex-wife who lives in London. The former couple has two children aged 13 and nine.
The divorce was a result of many complexities between the royal couple. Not all royal love stories end on a happy note. Some end in bitter and expensive divorce suits. The bitter divorce and fight for the custody of children between the Dubai ruler and his ex-wife has been playing out in public.
During one of the hearings, Princess Haya was questioned about her affair with one of the bodyguards. As per the reports, Princess Haya had paid 6.7 million pounds from her children’s bank accounts to conceal the affair.
In her response, Princess Haya said that she was very scared about the disclosure of her affair. “I was scared and that was the money that was available in that amount.”
Princess Haya has also blamed her husband for spoiling her with lavish gifts. She also claimed that after fleeing to Britain she only carried some basic items with her. Princess Haya has now demanded to get all the remaining gifts.
Court ruling on the royal divorce case
“Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must also make annual payments of around 11 million pounds toward costs for his children while they are in education, which will be secured by a 290 million-pound bank guarantee,” the judge said.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Maktoum had ordered the hacking of phones belonging to Princess Hussein and her legal team.
Princess Haya has claimed that during the divorce case she was “under siege.” She further added that the Sheikh’s surveillance was quite distressing for her. According to the reports, the only claim made by Princess Haya was for her security and some lost personal possessions
“I have always ensured that my children are provided for.,” Sheikh Maktoum said in a statement. Lawyers from Princess Haya’s side decided to keep their mouths shut when asked about the ruling. In the past two years, the UK courts have been involved in several rulings and allegations concerning the Dubai royal family. The lavish lifestyle of the royal family was exposed during the hearing.
As part of the settlement, Judge Moor has awarded the family over 5 million pounds a year to spend on vacations. including for flights on private jets. There are nearly 300,000 pounds annually to cover the upkeep of their horses and other pets and even 39,000 pounds to install two trampolines.
During the hearing, Princess Haya said, “My reliance on periodical payments would put incredible additional pressure on the family because we will be living always under the shadow of possible litigation.” In response to this, Judge Moor ruled that Princess Haya can be trusted with the total amount awarded to her.
Judge Moor said he had to reach “a conclusion as to what is reasonable while remembering that the exceptional wealth and remarkable standard of living enjoyed by these children during the marriage takes this case entirely out of the ordinary.”
UK’s family courts have been home to many high-value legal cases. Recently, the divorce settlement case of Billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov was also produced in the UK family court. Initially, the court had asked Akhmedov to pay 450 million pounds to his wife. However, later, the two settled with a payment of less than one-third of the original amount.
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