Dragged from Private to Public: An Unsettled Royal Court
In the latest session of London’s High Court, the family division has been dealing with the case raised between Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, and his wife Princess Haya of Jordan, an accomplished Olympic equestrian.
The court proceedings, first initiated in July of this year, recommenced on Tuesday 12th November. Although not explicitly concerning the recent separation between the two royals, the court case has brought the Emirati royal family and the long running security concerns of Sheikha Latifa into the public eye once again- something that Sheikh Mohammed has always made a concerted effort to avoid.
Sheikh Mohammed ascended to the highest office in Dubai in 2006, and since this point he has sought to establish it as a centre of development and innovation in the region. He is considered to be a progressive and modernising ruler who successfully employed Dubai’s massive wealth of natural resources to establish the country’s impressive economic position in the world. By opening up the culture of the Emirate to the world, Sheikh Mohammed has exposed Dubai’s rich heritage and diverse future making it both an attractive tourist and business location.
Concerning the current case, it has been reported that Princess Haya has filed for a Forced Marriage Protection Order for a minor and a secondary court protection concerning non-molestation. This has been seen as a reaction to the lawsuit about child custody that was submitted by the Sheikh after Haya’s secretive departure from Dubai in June.
Earlier in the year there was a lot of debate concerning the motivations of the Princess’s flight especially given her very public and sometimes controversial involvement with the situation concerning her stepdaughter, Sheikha Latifa.
During 2018, there were questions being asked and investigations carried out into the whereabouts of Latifa, one of Sheikh Mohammed’s daughters. Her apparent flight from Dubai was facilitated by a former member of the French secret service, Hervé Jaubert, before she was apprehended and returned to the UAE. The matter was raised as high as the United Nations, attracting intrigue into the nature of her motivations and the threat she was facing. In a video that was released, Sheikha Latifa provides her perspective of the way in which her father’s household is run and his family members treated. Given the hugely damaging potential of the clip, it is therefore unsurprising that the Sheikh and other officials immediately deployed their own PR to contain the effects of the claims.
Princess Haya initially involved herself with this issue by arranging a meeting between the much-discussed elusive daughter of Sheikh Mohammed and the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to quell international concerns about Latifa’s safety. It was at this time that she pledged her unanimous support if ever the safety of those in her family was under threat, which thrust her trust of her husband into question, given the allegations, and potentially threating to destabilise his position.
The news of the separation of Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya that shortly followed was seen by commentators, particularly those who viewed the Princess’s actions as infringing UN ambassadorial code, as a consequence of her actions and their damaging effects upon her husband.
For these personal family dealings to be aired so publicly is highly unusual for the family of al-Maktoum. The patriarch’s six wives are very rarely seen in public, apart from Princess Haya, and he makes a concerted effort to forge a large distinction between political and familial dealings. However, despite this more conservative marital approach, the Sheikh adopts a modern and progressive use of social media to share his daily activity and even poetry. Often using this as an outlet, it was of one of his works that initially caused commentators to attribute his split from his sixth wife to betrayal and acrimony.
The attention drawn to this aspect of the ruler’s life has tainted the reputation of the Sheikh in the eyes of the international community. The international reception of this narrative is likely to be counteractive to the current push for prosperity and modernisation within the UAE, an initiative that previously attracted international praise in the face of long-running human rights issues, which have cast a shadow over efforts to develop a contemporary nation brand that represents the Emirati culture of “possibilities” and all facets of their society.
It is perhaps for these reasons that there has been minimal international intervention in matters concerning the allegations around both Princess Haya and her children and Sheikha Latifa, particularly from partners in the region and notably from Jordan.
Relations between the United Arab Emirates and Jordan are strong, especially regarding regional efforts and economic ties. As is common in the region with non-political issues, there is a strong distinction drawn between these two areas. It is for this reason, it is believed, Princess Haya chose to come to the UK rather than to her half-brother’s kingdom for protection- so as to avoid involving him and his government.
The current legal proceedings in the UK are demonstrative of a larger concern that is slowly being unravelled. The flight of princesses from a royal household might sounds like a medieval fairy tale, but it is more symbolic of the nature of issues happening behind the closed doors and high walls of Emirati powers.
For such dramatic action to be taken, involving prominent international actors, hints towards elements of truth within the narratives. There is, therefore, a high degree of scepticism surrounding the narrative put forward by Dubai and its government, and the secrets they may be trying to hide in order to present a strong record on human rights compared to that of some of their regional neighbours and competitors.
