Dubai Ruler's Astronomic Alimony To Ex-Wife in Divorce Settlement

The court dispute between Dubai's ruler and his ex-wife has pushed the ultra-rich Middle Eastern royalty's extravagant lifestyle to the fore. The High Court in London today ordered Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, to pay his former wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, about 550 million pounds ($730 million), which is said to be the biggest divorce settlement reached by an English court. The settlement money will be used to maintain Princess Haya's British residences and to cover her and her children's future security requirements.

Details regarding their royal lifestyle were shared in the court. It gives you an understanding as to why the settlement amount is so astronomical.

Lavish Lifestyle

In 2004, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, current vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates married Princess Haya. According to the ruling, he divorced her without her knowledge in 2019 under Sharia law.

The Princess' counsel testified in court that she and her children have limitless money in Dubai.  Princess Haya had access to over a dozen lavish properties, a 400 million pound superyacht, and a number of private planes. She used to receive 83 million pounds a year for her home, plus 9 million pounds in spending money. 

A total of 251.5 million pounds will also go into the maintenance of Princess Haya's houses in London. The ruler will also be paying for the housekeepers. An additional 770,000 pounds will be given for the maintenance of her Castlewood mansion in Berkshire.

400 Horses

Princess Haya claimed that she and her children owned more than 60 racehorses for which she demanded compensation of 75 million pounds. She purchased over 400 racehorses while married to the Sheikh.

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

Clothes and Accessories

Princess Haya testified that her ex-husband used to pamper her with lavish presents on a regular basis during their marriage, and she was given 13.7 million pounds as compensation for missing jewelry and clothing. She had asked for 52 million pounds for the lost things at first.

She claimed her haute couture collection was worth 74 million euros and that only the most basic pieces had been restored to her after she escaped to the United Kingdom.

Extravagant Vacations 

The family spent 631,000 pounds on a summer holiday in Italy during her marriage, and another time the bill for a hotel in Greece was 274,000 euros, according to the court's findings.

Princess Haya would be paid for two weeks of vacation in the United Kingdom and nine weeks of travel overseas each year.

The annual payout for holidays, according to Judge Philip Moor, would be 5.1 million pounds per year, with 1 million pounds each for hiring a private plane and dining expenses.

Princess Haya was given an additional 1 million pounds by the court to spend on pleasure. He also set aside 277,050 pounds per year for pet expenses, including 25,000 pounds for horse purchases and 12,000 pounds for toys and other requirements.