Princess Haya’s crazy rich Dubai life – before her US$728 million divorce settlement, the Jordanian royal owned 400 racehorses, a US$85 million designer wardrobe and hung out with Queen Elizabeth
Princess Haya’s crazy rich Dubai life – before her US$728 million divorce settlement, the Jordanian royal owned 400 racehorses, a US$85 million designer wardrobe and hung out with Queen Elizabeth
- The Jordanian princess will get a whopping US$728 million settlement from her billionaire ex-husband, making the split one of the most expensive divorces in history
- The Dubai royals’ children had an allowance exceeding the inheritances of Bill and Melinda Gates’ children, and the couple once spent US$3 million on strawberries
In one of the most expensive divorces in history, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was ordered to pay his ex-wife, Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, about US$728 million by a UK court earlier this month.
The current vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tied the knot with Princess Haya, who was his sixth wife (second official wife), in 2004, and got divorced in 2019.
The settlement has ended the lingering legal battle between the 72-year-old ruler of the emirate of Dubai and his 47-year-old former wife.
So what does the jaw-dropping settlement include? The court has awarded Princess Haya almost US$7 million for nine weeks of foreign holidays a year, two weeks in the UK, and also three weekends in Jordan and three weekends away in the UK, reports The Guardian. It also includes security costs up to the year 2068, which is more than 45 years away. An amount of about US$2.2 million has been allocated for a kitchen extension, security upgrades and a pizza oven to be built at the London home in which the princess currently lives in with her two children.
Speaking of her current home, the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan resides between two mansions – a US$135 million mansion in London’s Kensington Palace and a 12-bedroom country home near Egham in Surrey, according to The Daily Mail.
With that whopping divorce settlement, we’re interested in finding out more about Princess Haya’s extravagant lifestyle in Dubai before she fled to the UK in 2019. Here’s a closer look at what life with unlimited money looked like for the Dubai royal before the split.
1. “Limitless” access to money, including yachts and private jets
No doubt Princess Haya, the daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia, enjoyed an extravagant life long before her marriage to the ruler of Dubai. After her marriage to Sheikh Mohammed, Princess Haya and her children had “limitless” access to money, her lawyer told the judge in the settlement case. She also had access to a 400 million pound yacht (roughly US$540 million), luxurious mansions and a fleet of privates planes at her disposal.
2. A US$12 million allowance
Do royals set a monthly budget to run a palace? Well, yes! Princess Haya had a whopping annual budget of more than 83 million pounds for her household in Dubai, with an additional 9 million pounds allowance, reports Reuters.
3. More than 400 horses
The now-estranged couple’s love for horses never went unnoticed. They shared this mutual love of horse racing with Queen Elizabeth (who they’re also widely reported to be close friends with). While the princess was married to the Dubai ruler, she bought nearly 400 racehorses, according to NDTV.
“If I wanted a horse, I bought one,” said the princess. After the split, Princess Haya sought compensation of more than 19 million pounds for the racehorses.
4. Luxury holidays to Italy and Greece
Does one even take a holiday when their entire life is arguably one big holiday? Apparently, yes! The royals spared no expense on luxurious getaways. They once splurged US$850,000 on a summer trip to Italy, and their hotel bill for a holiday in Greece once amounted to US$311,000.
Besides these leisurely breaks, Princess Haya would also get money for two weeks of holiday in Britain and to travel abroad for a period of nine weeks every year, reports NDTV.
5. Their children’s annual allowance is more than the inheritance of Bill Gates’ children
The couple’s children, 14-year-old Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and nine-year-old Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also enjoy the perks of being royal by birth. They received allowances of around US$15 million a year each before the divorce. In comparison, billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates plan to leave a mere US$10 million each for their three kids.
They got a taste of luxury incredibly early in life, travelling in a customised Boeing 747 plane, helicopters and a superyacht.
6. Haute couture and precious stones
Princess Haya claimed in court that only trivial items were returned to her after she ran off to Britain. She told the judge she had a US$27 million jewellery collection in Dubai, one that would have filled his courtroom, and that her designer clothing was worth US$85 million in total.
7. A nanny and a nurse
If a prince needs an army on the battlefield, a princess also needs her own army to run her luxurious household and maintain an opulent lifestyle. The princess and her children had a support staff comprised of 80 members before the divorce to assist with taking care of the luxury homes and also the children.
Princess Haya was awarded about US$400,000 for the cost of a nanny and a nurse for the children in the divorce settlement, while a tutor for the children will also be paid US$135,000.
8. Pets and trampolines
While maintaining their lavish properties was a mammoth task, amounting to high costs for upkeep, even their pets didn’t spare any expenses.
Other than the cost of taking care of the horses, Princess Haya spent a substantial amount on other pets. The princess also got almost US$50,000 for sunken trampolines, similar to the ones in her family’s beach palace in Dubai.
9. A mad love for strawberries
During the early rosy days of their marriage, Princess Haya and Sheikh Mohammed spent almost US$3 million on strawberries in one summer alone for the family and staff, reports The Guardian.
