A British high court has ordered Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to pay his estranged wife and children 550 million pounds – about $730 million.
The total sum is a result of his divorce settlement with his sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan.
The court ordered the Dubai ruler to pay 251.5 million pounds to her and also make recurring payments for their children; 14 year old Al Jalila and 9 year old Zayed, supported by a bank guarantee of 290 million pounds.
The Judge who presided over the case, Philip Moor, also opined that the estranged family needed tight security, siting that the main threat to their safety was from Sheikh Mohammed himself. Hence, a portion of the divorce settlement includes a yearly cost of 11 million pounds for security.
The court has previously ruled that Sheikh Mohammed was responsible for hacking his wife, Princess Haya’s phone, and the abduction and forced return of his adult daughters; Sheikha Shamsa and Sheikha Latifa twice.
47 years old Princess Haya has been in the U.K since 2019 from where she has been in legal battle for the custody of their two children using the British Courts.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 72 years old, is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, its Minister of Defence, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai.