The daughter of Dubai’s ruler has apparently divorced her husband, according to a mysterious announcement made on her Instagram page.
Sheikha Mahrah bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, 30, is one of the youngest daughters of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are six royal families in the UAE but the Maktoum house is one of the most high-profile as Dubai has grown into a global city. The Maktoums are one of the richest royal families in the world.
A Wednesday post from Sheikha Mahrah’s verified Instagram account claims that her husband has been “occupied with other companions.”
“I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife,” the post reads.
Sheikha Mahrah appears to be invoking a controversial Islamic custom known as triple talaq, in which a spouse can instantly divorce their partner by declaring it three times. The practice is banned in many countries, including India, where lawmakers argued it was discriminatory towards women. Opponents of the ban say it unfairly targets Muslims.
Typically, it is husbands who invoke the triple talaq to divorce their wives. Its use by Sheikha Mahrah may provoke debate among Islamic jurists as to its legitimacy.
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Sheikha Mahrah married Sheikh Mana Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, who is also a member of the Dubai royal family, in a lavish ceremony in June 2023. Shortly after, Sheikha Mahrah gave birth to their daughter, who was born in May this year.
Sheikha Mahrah appears to have removed all photos of her husband from her Instagram page. There are also no pictures of the Dubai princess on Sheikh Mana’s Instagram account.
There has been no public comment on the apparent divorce from Sheikha Mahrah’s husband or her father. The Dubai government has also not made any comment on the situation.
Some have speculated that Sheikha Mahrah’s Instagram account was hacked, but the post remains up a day after it was posted.
This is far from the first time the Dubai royal family has been embroiled in a mysterious family dispute. In 2020, a U.K. court ruled in a fact-finding judgment that Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed was responsible for the abduction and forced return of two of his daughters who fled Dubai.
In 2000, Sheikha Mahrah’s older half-sister Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum fled their family’s U.K. estate in Surrey but was later abducted by agents of her father and forcibly returned to Dubai, where she remains in captivity. Sheikha Shamsa has not been seen in public since, 24 years later.
Sheikha Shamsa’s full sister Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum made two unsuccessful attempts to flee her father in 2002 and 2018. She was imprisoned in Dubai for three years after the first escape attempt. In 2018, she attempted to flee again on the yacht Nostromo, but the ship was intercepted and she was returned to Dubai.
A #FreeLatifa campaign ended in 2021 after Sheikha Latifa was photographed in public places that year.