London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026

Mansions, Race Horses, And Limitless Money: The Lavish Lifestyle Behind Dubai Royals' Record Divorce Settlement

Mansions, Race Horses, And Limitless Money: The Lavish Lifestyle Behind Dubai Royals' Record Divorce Settlement

The ruler of Dubai was today ordered by the High Court in London to pay his former wife around 550 million pounds as divorce settlement.

The legal battle between Dubai's ruler and his ex-wife has brought to forefront the lavish lifestyle of the the ultra-rich Middle Eastern royalty.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, was today ordered by the High Court in London to pay his former wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, around 550 million pounds ($730 million) - reportedly the highest divorce settlement set by an English court.

The settlement amount will go towards the upkeep of Princess Haya's British mansions and to cover the future security costs of her and their children.

Here are the details of the royal couple's lifestyle that was listed in the ruling:

'Limitless' money in Dubai


Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is currently the vice-president and prime minister of UAE, got married to Princess Haya in 2004. The judgment states that she divorced her in 2019 under the Sharia law without her knowledge.

The Princess' lawyers told the court that when in Dubai, she and the children had access to 'limitless' money.

Princess Haya had access to over a dozen luxurious mansions, a 400 million pounds yacht, and a fleet of private planes, her lawyers told the court.

According to the ruling, she used to get 83 million pounds annually for her household, along with 9 million pounds spending money.

Blackmail using children's money


The 72-year-old ruler of the emirate of Dubai has long been locked in a bitter legal battle with his 47-year-old former wife, who lives in London with their two children, aged 13 and nine.

During one of the hearings, Princess Haya was questioned about a 6.7 million pounds payment she made to cover up her affair with one of the bodyguards. To make the payment, she used money from the children's bank accounts.

"I was very frightened," Haya said when asked why she had used money from the children's accounts to pay them off. "I was scared and that was the money that was available in that amount."

Mansions in London


Of the total divorce settlement, 251.5 million pounds would go towards the upkeep of Princess Haya's houses in London.

In 2016, Princess Haya bought a mansion near Kensington Palace for 87.5 million pounds and then spent 14.7 million pounds in getting it refurbished, the court was told.

The Dubai ruler has been ordered to make payments that would cover a 10-year refurbishment project of the house and also cover the salaries of five housekeepers.

"We always kept it to a very high standard and that is the amount of people needed to keep it as it is now," Princess Haya said.

She has also sought a yearly payment of 770,000 pounds for the maintenance of her Castlewood mansion in Berkshire.

400 racehorses


Princess Haya said that she and their children owned over 60 racehorses, for whom she sought 75 million pounds in compensation. While being married to the Sheikh, she bought nearly 400 racehorses.

"If I wanted a horse, I bought one," Princess Haya told the court.

Holidays and leisure


During her marriage, the family spent 631,000 pounds on one summer vacation in Italy, and on another occasion the bill for a hotel in Greece was 274,000 euros, the court said in its ruling.

Princess Haya would get money for two weeks of vacation in Britain and to travel abroad nine weeks every year.

Judge Philip Moor said that the annual award for holidays would be 5.1 million pounds a year, with 1 million pounds each for hiring private plane and food expenditure.

The court awarded Princess Haya a further 1 million pounds to spend on leisure. He also granted 277,050 pounds a year for spending on pets, including 25,000 pounds to buy horses and 12,000 pounds for toys, grooming, and training of unspecified animals.

Clothes and jewellery


Princess Haya in her testimony said that her ex-husband used to regularly spoil her with lavish gifts during their marriage, and was awarded 13.7 million pounds as compensation for what she claimed were missing jewellery and clothes. She had initially sought 52 million pounds for the missing items.

She said her collection of haute couture was worth about 74 million euros, and only the most basic items had been returned to her after she fled to Britain.

"If you put all the pieces in that room spread across this courtroom, it would be full," Haya said. "I was spoiled with wonderful gifts which I enjoyed very, very much at the time."

In a 23-minute video presented during the hearing, the judge could be seen walking into a safe in the Dubai palace where the jewellery was kept. The judge said that what was left in the safe seemed "standard fare".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
National Health Service England and Trades Union Congress Finalize Agreement on Emergency Winter Staffing and Pay Frameworks
HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade Announce Multi-Billion-Pound Sovereign Investment Pact to Spur Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Signals Potential for Faster Interest Rate Cuts as Domestic Inflation Pressures Ease Below Forecasts
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
Ministry of Defence Prepares Heat Pump Subsidy Cuts to Fund Urgent Military Modernization
British and European Union Officials Schedule Long-Awaited Bilateral Leaders Summit for November Twentieth
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Urges Strict Fiscal Credibility to Protect British Bond Markets
United Kingdom Inflation Rises to Three Point One Percent Driven by Escalating Fuel Costs
Profit Warnings Among London-Listed Companies Reach Two-Year High Amid Global Energy Shocks
Chancellor John Healey Signals Targeted Tax Changes on Banks and London Corporate Offices Ahead of Budget
British Government Reallocates Twenty-Five Per Cent of International Climate Finance to Global Biodiversity Projects
Initial British Carbon Border Taxes Set to Undercut Parallel European Union Tariffs on Industrial Imports
Whitehall Prepares National Zero-Interest Loan Initiative to Accelerate Domestic Heat Pump and Solar Adoption
European Union Offers British Automakers Access to Hybrid Vehicle Trade Protections Subject to Strict Regulatory Alignment
British Probation Officers Threaten Widespread Industrial Action After Rejecting Five Per Cent Government Pay Offer
Microsoft Abandons Major British Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Citing Severe National Grid Power Constraints
United Kingdom Inflation Accelerates to Three Point Four Per Cent Ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Inaugural Autumn Budget
Surging Cloned Number Plates Severely Complicate Traffic Enforcement and Police Investigations
Mounting Opposition Challenges Planned Rollout of Autonomous Taxis Across London
Influential Think Tank Urges Rejoining European Union to Navigate Geopolitical Crises
Government Review Recommends Slashing Benefits to Fund Youth Employment Initiatives
Senior Minister Shabana Mahmood Seeks New Law Enforcement Pact With European Union
Airbus Executive Warns Britain Risks Losing Crucial Role in European Space Industry
Exorbitant Electricity Costs Push British Steelmakers to Worst Competitive Position in Three Years
British Food and Beverage Exports to European Union Collapse by Over a Third Since Brexit
Up to Twenty English Maternity Units Face Impending Closure Due to Safety and Staffing Crises
Government Declares Severe Drought Across Southern England Following Record Dry Spell
Corporate Profit Warnings Reach Two-Year High Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Costs
International Monetary Fund Warns Chancellor John Healey Against Proposed Bank Tax Raid
Northern Ireland Secures Favorable Agricultural Export Agreement with European Union
Scottish Government Approves Major Offshore Floating Wind Farm Near Aberdeenshire
High Speed Two Rail Project Faces Three Billion Pound Cost Escalation on Initial Phase
National Health Service Warns of Winter Capacity Crisis Across English Hospitals
×