Racehorses, flashy cars and £20million in jewellery: The eye-watering lifestyle that led to Princess Haya’s claim for £1.4bn divorce payout
- Princess Haya asked court for total of £1.4 billion to provide for her children and security costs
- Also asked for the money to compensate her for racehorses, cars and other valuables and she said were owed to her
- Told judge her £20 million jewellery collection in Dubai would have filled his courtroom
- Her life of opulence turned to terror when ex-husband discovered her affair with her bodyguard and the princess said she had left most of her possessions behind when she fled to Britain
From racehorses to diamonds and haute couture clothes, lavish spending and gifts kept lawyers in the case arguing for weeks.
Princess Haya had asked the court for a total of £1.4billion to provide for her children and their security costs, and to compensate her for racehorses, cars and other valuables she said were owed to her.
She told the judge her £20million jewellery collection in Dubai would have filled his courtroom and that her wardrobe of designer clothing had cost £63million.
The former Olympic showjumper claimed that up to 400 racehorses from her ex-husband’s Godolphin stables had run in her name, including the 2008 Epsom Derby winner New Approach, which she said had been a gift from him to her after the birth of their first child.
Princess Haya had asked the court for a total of £1.4billion to provide for her children and their security costs, and to compensate her for racehorses, cars and other valuables she said were owed to her
Haya said he had given her £15million in prize money after the 2018 Dubai World Cup as a reward for help in hosting his guests, adding: ‘It was an incredibly generous thing for Sheikh Mohammed to do.’
She said she was ‘spoiled with wonderful gifts’ during her 15-year marriage to one of the world’s richest men. But her life of opulence turned to terror when he discovered her affair with her bodyguard and the princess said she had left most of her possessions behind when she fled to Britain.
She told the court she had sold horses, jewellery, cars and gold to pay bills and had considered selling paintings, but had not wanted her children to see gaps on the walls and realise what had happened.
She did not ask the court for a share of her ex-husband’s wealth but sought maintenance payments for their children and for compensation of more than £19million for racehorses. She also wanted £52million for clothing and jewellery as compensation for items she had left behind.
She did not ask the court for a share of her ex-husband’s wealth but sought maintenance payments for their children and for compensation of more than £19million for racehorses
Sheikh Mohammed’s lawyers attacked some figures as ‘absurd’ and said some jewellery and clothing had been returned to her.
They insisted all of the racehorses were owned by the sheikh’s Godolphin racing operation, which the court accepted. Before their 2019 divorce, Haya was given an £83million annual budget for household spending in Dubai and a £9million allowance, the court heard.
Their children received allowances of more than £18million a year and around 80 staff worked for Haya and the two youngsters. They also had access to a Boeing 747 and a £300million superyacht.
Her life of opulence turned to terror when he discovered her affair with her bodyguard and the princess said she had left most of her possessions behind when she fled to Britain. Pictured: Bodyguard Russell Flowers
Pictured: Princess Haya with the Queen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2009
Where the money goes… £1.9m for a pizza oven and kitchen
£251.5million one-off payment to Princess Haya, to cover her future security costs as well as the upkeep of the homes she shares with her two children.
The lump sum – which must be paid within three months – also includes compensation to her of £13.7million for jewellery, £1million for clothing and £5million for racehorses.
It will cover a £10million refurbishment of the family’s home in Kensington, west London, once every decade, plus up to £500,000 a year for ‘wear and tear’.
A further £1.9million was set aside for a kitchen extension and pizza oven at the house.
Sunken trampolines similar to the ones at the family’s beach palace in Dubai will also be installed, at a cost of £39,000.
The money will cover Haya’s security costs, including £1.5million on armoured vehicles and £64,000 on ‘ballistic blankets and ballistic shields’.
The ruling also set aside £5.1million for holidays, including £1.3million for flights on private planes.
£11.2million a year for maintenance and security for the princess’s children Jalila, 14, and Zayed, nine, guaranteed up to £290million. The payments will continue until a further order from the court and they will rise with inflation.
£3million education fund for the children, to be held by accountants.
£9.6million in back payments on money for the children, to be paid within a month.
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