Hat tip to Dr. Steve, who thought this might interest us here at Rantburg. A taste:
[EvieMagazine] Among the biggest Royal scandals you may not have heard of today is the divorce between the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, and his wife, the Jordanian Princess Haya. Even though Meghan and Harry are still dominating the press regarding news of Royals, there’s another significant Royal scandal you need to pay attention to - the story about Princess Haya and why she has fled to the West.Princess Haya was one of the many wives (#6) of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum. Born of Jordanian Royalty, she is the half-sister of Prince Abdullah, husband of the very popular and beautiful Queen Rania of Jordan. The Jordanian royal family, if you’re unaware, closely resembles the British model: Princes and princesses have patronage, run organizations, and are highly visible. Princess Haya of Jordan, however, fell for a man who ran a very different kind of monarchy, Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai.
Haya married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004 and was known as his “public wife” because she was perhaps the only wife of the Emir of Dubai who was often seen accompanying him on his official royal engagements. Modern and glamorous, she was seen as a natural fit for this role because she represents a more conventionally Western image of women in the Middle East as contrasted to the more stereotypically oppressed, hijab covered women in the Arab world.
But on April 15, 2019, Princess Haya left Dubai with her children Sheikha Jalila (12 years old) and Sheikh Zayed (8 years old) to reside in the United Kingdom. There, she is seeking the protection of the British courts to grant her custodial rights of her children from the Emir because she was said to be “afraid for her life.”
... The reason why Princess Haya wanted to escape is simple: she is a mother who feared for the future of her children. She is a mother looking out for her children. According to statements made by Princess Haya during their divorce proceedings, the Sheikh arranged for their 12-year-old daughter to be married off to a Saudi Prince, a man who was 22 years the girl’s senior.