Following the ruling, a spokesperson for the sheikh said he “has always made sure his children are taken care of” and called on the media to respect their privacy. A lawyer for Haya did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The settlement is the latest development in a legal saga that began when the Princess fled to Britain in April 2019 fearing for her safety after starting an affair with one of her bodyguards, and a months after filing for divorce from the Sheikh.

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Later that year, the London court ruled that Mohammed had carried out a campaign of threats and intimidation that made him fear for his life, and that he had also already abducted and abused two of his daughters by another marriage.

Earlier this year, the Chairman of the Family Division in England and Wales, a senior judge, also determined that Mohammed had ordered the phones of Haya and his lawyers, one of whom is a parliamentary lawmaker , be hacked using the sophisticated “Pegasus”. state security software.

Haya had not asked for any divorce settlement. She did not provide an explanation, but her lawyers said she was entitled to claim billions as the ex-wife of one of the richest men in the world.

“The mother’s financial claims and the scale of the assistance requested are completely unprecedented,” Sheikh’s lawyer Nigel Dyer told the court in hearings which could not be reported until Tuesday. .

He said her demands were excessive and that she truly claimed herself under the guise of her children. He also accused the princess of abusing children’s funds, claiming she paid blackmailers, who were part of her security team, £ 6.7million to keep a case a secret.

The court did not hear the alleged blackmailers. Haya said she used the money from the children’s accounts because she was afraid.

Most of Haya’s financial reward will go towards security, according to the details of the settlement. This was to protect children from being kidnapped by their own fathers, the ruling said, including money for a fleet of armored cars that would be replaced every few years.

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“Absolutely unique, the main threat they face comes from (the Sheikh) himself and not from outside sources,” Moor said.

Haya told the court it was not excessive of him to ask for millions to pay for five housekeepers, clothes, the upkeep of his two mansions, one of which was estimated at around £ 100million, and regular vacations.

Her jewelry, valued in total at some £ 20million, would fill the courtroom if displayed, she said.

The largest previous sum ever estimated to have been ordered by a UK court was the £ 453.6million Russian billionaire Farkad Akhmedov was ordered to pay for his divorce settlement in 2016.

Reuters

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