The settlement, of about $734 million, resolves a lengthy dispute that began when Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and her two children fled to London in 2019. …
LONDON — London’s High Court has ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their two children more than 554 million pounds, according to court documents released Tuesday that said he posed “grave risk” to their safety.
The documents detail a custody settlement, dated Nov. 19, that appears to be one of the largest in British history, equivalent to about $734 million. The settlement also appears to resolve a two-year court battle between Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, and Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, who fled to London in 2019, seeking political asylum and a divorce.
Lawyers representing Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya did not immediately return requests for comment on Tuesday.
The princess’s flight from Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates, followed failed efforts to leave by two of Sheikh Mohammed’s daughters from another marriage, Sheikha Shamsa al-Maktoum and Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum.
court documents revealed that Sheikh Mohammed had used high-tech software purchased from an Israeli company to hack the cellphones of his ex-wife, two of her lawyers and three other associates.
In the court documents made public this week, Judge Philip Moor cited the hacking and “his kidnapping of Sheikha Shamsa and Sheikha Latifa,” among other factors, in saying that Sheikh Mohammed “constitutes a grave risk” to the princess and their children.
Judge Moor said that Princess Haya and the children, given their status, would have required security in any event,
