Who is Princess Latifa of Dubai and who is her father Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum?

Her daring bid for freedom is the subject of a BBC documentary Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of a Missing Princess.

Who is Princess Latifa and who is her father?

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum is the 33-year-old daughter of the Dubai’s billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

The Sheikh is also Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and reportedly has several children from various wives.

In 40 minute video released her escape bid, Latifa said she had previously tried to leave the UAE aged 16 but was captured at the border, jailed for three years, beaten and tortured.

The princess laid out the reasons why she wanted to flee in the video.

She alleged her family had imprisoned and tortured her and she now wanted to escape the clutches of her father.

The Princess also said said she was the daughter of the Dubai ruler and an Algerian mother, Horriya Ahmed.

How did she escape Dubai?

According to friends, she saved up £315,000 and contacted Hervé Jaubert, a former French spy and naval officer.

She learned he had escaped the Dubai authorities, because of a financial dispute, by putting on a burqa and then scuba diving into international waters.

A 2010 book he wrote Escape from Dubai, which prompted Sheikha Latifa to contact him, he said.

Together with Tiina Jauhiainen, her Finnish martial arts teacher and friend, she drove over the border to Oman where a dinghy and then jet skies took them to Mr Jaubert's 100ft yacht called Nostromo.


But after a week at sea on the Indian Ocean, Mr Jaubert claims they were spotted and monitored by reconnaissance planes.

Then off Goa they were boarded by what appeared to be crew from the Indian coastguard.

The runaway princess was then dragged off the yacht by what were believed to have been commandos.

Ms Jauhiainen said she watched her friend being dragged away "kicking and screaming for her life".

She has not been seen in public since and her Instagram account has been closed, although it is believed she may have been hauled back to Dubai.



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