Why Sheikh Ibn Rashid's younger wife escaped after 15 years of unclouded marriage

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Today her name is known even to those who are not interested in the life of monarchs. For 15 years, Haya bint al-Hussein in all interviews extolled the human qualities of her husband and thanked God for the happiness of being with him. But at the end of June, it became known about the escape of the princess with two children from Mohammed ibn Rashid and her request for political asylum in Germany. What could have caused the sheikh's wife to leave her golden cage?

Princess from Jordan

She was born into the family of King Hussein ibn Talal of Jordan. The baby was not even three years old when she lost her mother. Aliya Hussein died at the age of 28 in a helicopter crash. The father, as best he could, tried to compensate the children for the absence of the mother. Haya, along with her brother Ali, could never complain about the lack of attention from their father. They spent all weekends together and even on weekdays, if there were no classes at school, the children of Hussein ibn Talal resorted to him to work.

Despite her longing for her mother, Princess Haya retained very fond memories of her childhood. The father was personally involved in the upbringing of children, refusing the services of nannies. Noticing his daughter's love for animals, on the sixth birthday, he presented the girl with a real foal, completely tiny. His mother died, and Khaya began to take care of him, helping the staff of the stable to clean the stall, feed and walk.

Taking care of the little creature not only helped to come to terms with the pain of loss, but also contributed to the emergence of the greatest passion in the life of the princess. She was only 13 years old when she already successfully participated in equestrian competitions, representing her country at the international level. Five years later, she took third place, and went down in history as the only female winner of the Pan Arab Games.

Everyday life of a princess

Hussein ibn Talal was undoubtedly very fond of his children, but least of all he wanted the heirs to grow up infantile and effeminate. Haye was 11 when he sent her to Badminton School in Bristol, while Ali entered Papplewick in Ascot. Children desperately missed home, but they really became more independent, were able to see the world, get to know other cultures and learn to communicate with their peers.

The father has undoubtedly achieved his goal. Haya, after Badminton School, studied in Dorset at the Bryanston School, and then became a student at St Hilda's College at Oxford University, where she graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics.

Among the undoubted advantages of the princess is the knowledge of several foreign languages. Even in her youth, Princess Haya became the first and so far the only woman in Jordan to receive a license to drive a truck. Today, the princess enjoys driving high-speed cars, enjoys falconry and shooting, loves swimming and is still engaged in equestrian sports.

In addition, the princess has many charity programs and projects that she is engaged in at the behest of her heart and in memory of her mother, who also did charity work.

Life with the sheikh

In April 2004, the wedding of Hayya and Mohammed ibn Rashid took place, while no information about their history of acquaintance was made public, and only the closest members of the two families were invited to the holiday itself.

The young woman became the fourth wife of the sheikh, but from the first days of her marriage she behaved completely differently from the older wives of Mohammed ibn Rashid. They, as befits Muslim women, led an almost reclusive lifestyle, did not appear in society with their spouses, and were engaged in raising children. Princess Haya began to accompany her husband everywhere, was actively involved in social activities, became a goodwill ambassador, and then the UN Messenger of Peace.

In 2007, the princess gave birth to a daughter, Jalila, and, for the first time picking up the baby, she realized how strong her own mother felt for her. Five years later, the son of the spouses Zayed was born.

For 15 years of marriage with the sheikh, the princess in all her interviews and comments spoke of her spouse with admiration and respect. She said that the secret of her happiness lies in the wisdom of her husband, who is always forgiving and tolerant of her shortcomings.

Hayya's stories about her father's relationship with his children aroused affection. According to her, Mohammed ibn Rashid allowed children everything that could bring them pleasure. He could calm down a crying daughter and teach his son everything that he knows and can do himself.

They often appeared together at social events, every year they attended the races in Ascot. It seemed difficult to imagine that in this exemplary family there could be any disagreements at all.

Runaway princess

In February 2019, Princess Haya stopped appearing with her husband, and at the end of June it became known that she fled with her children, taking with her an amount of $ 39 million. In addition, the sheikh's younger wife asked for political asylum in Germany. It is impossible to find out for certain the whereabouts of Haya with the children. According to some reports, they are hiding in Germany. Others say it is in the UK. Princess Haya does not make any official statements, preferring to remain silent.

Various assumptions have been made about the reasons for such an act. According to one of them, the Sheikh of Dubai has every reason to fear for her life and the lives of her children, since she became aware of the true circumstances of the escape and further detention of Latifa, one of the eldest daughters of the Sheikh.

She first escaped from her father at the age of 16, after which she was held in prison for three years, where she was beaten and tortured. The girl had been preparing a second escape for seven years, but she was caught a second time and returned to the palace.

Before escaping, Latifa filmed a video message in which for almost 40 minutes she talked about how her father dealt with recalcitrant children. She cited as an example the story of one of her sisters, Shamsa. After escaping, Shamsa is under the vigilant supervision of doctors and receives potent medicines. At the end, the girl said: if people see this recording, it means that she is dead or is in trouble.

At the end of 2018, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson visited Latifa, according to whom the meeting was organized by Princess Haya. Robinson said that Latifa suffers from mental illness, but she is cared for by her family and friends.

Perhaps fearing to share the fate of the daughters of Mohammed ibn Rashid, Princess Haya left Dubai, taking her children with her. But Mohammed ibn Rashid himself, it seems, believes that his wife cheated on him. On his Instagram page, a poem was published in which the sheikh writes about the loss of trust and gives his wife the right to do what she is doing, clearly hinting at another man.

Once in an interview, Princess Haya advised other women to never give up their principles and their faith, to be honest with themselves and others. But the most important thing was the phrase about freedom and that no one has the right to put a person in a cage.

Perhaps every little girl dreams of becoming a real princess and living in a palace. And when the girls grow up, they have to say goodbye to this dream, but some lucky women manage to make the fairy tale come true. But is the fate of ordinary girls who became the wives of the most real oriental sheikhs as happy as in childhood dreams?