Princess Haya bint Hussein
Princess Haya | |
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HRH Princess Haya of Jordan | |
![]() HRH Princess Haya in 2017 | |
Born | Amman, Jordan | 3 May 1974
Spouse |
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Issue | Sheikha Jalila Sheikh Zayed |
House | Hashemite |
Father | Hussein of Jordan |
Mother | Alia Toukan |
Jordanian royal family |
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Extended royal family |
Princess Haya bint Hussein (Arabic: الأميرة هيا بنت الحسين; born 3 May 1974), commonly known as HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, is the daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia, and the half-sister of King Abdullah II.
She is a graduate of the University of Oxford in England and an accomplished equestrian. She represented Jordan at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and is the two-term President of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). In addition, she engages in a variety of charitable activities.
On 10 April 2004, Princess Haya became the second official wife of the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who, in addition, had a number of “unofficial” wives. Sheikh Mohammed divorced her under Sharia Law on 7 February 2019. On 15 April 2019, Princess Haya left Dubai with the two children of the marriage to reside in the United Kingdom. On 14 May 2019, Sheikh Mohammed commenced proceedings in England before the High Court seeking orders for the children to be returned to the Emirate of Dubai.[1] The case attracted considerable media attention, even though almost all hearings were conducted in private as the case concerned the welfare of children.
Early life and education
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/King_Hussein_and_Queen_Alia_with_children%2C_1974.png/220px-King_Hussein_and_Queen_Alia_with_children%2C_1974.png)
Princess Haya was born in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the daughter of King Hussein and his third wife, Queen Alia. She has a younger brother, Prince Ali bin Hussein born on 23 December 1975, and older sister, Abir Muhaisen (born 1973), the latter of whom was adopted by Haya's parents after her biological mother was killed by a plane crash at their Palestinian refugee camp in Amman. In 1977, when Haya was 3 years old, her mother died in a helicopter crash. Her father died from complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1999, leaving the crown to her half-brother, King Abdullah II.
She was educated in the United Kingdom, where in 1985, she attended Badminton School near Bristol, and later the Bryanston School in Dorset. From 1993 to 1995, she was enrolled at St Hilda's College, Oxford University, from which she graduated with a BA honours degree in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE).[2][3][4]
Sports career
Princess Haya began horse riding internationally when she was 13.[5] In 1992, she took the bronze medal in individual Jumping at the seventh Pan Arab Games in Damascus, Syria, and in 1993 was named Jordan's athlete of the year.[5] Princess Haya was the first woman to represent her native Jordan in international equestrian sport and the only woman to win a medal in the Pan-Arab Equestrian Games.[6] Having trained for several years in Ireland and Germany,[5] she qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia representing Jordan in show jumping, where she was also her country's flag bearer.[7]
In 2007, Princess Haya became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and in 2010 became an appointee to the IOC's International Relations Committee, and has also served on the IOC Athletes’ and Culture and Olympic Education Commissions.[5]
On 7 June 2008, New Approach, a three-year-old colt owned by Princess Haya, trained in Ireland by Jim Bolger and ridden by Kevin Manning, won the Derby Stakes. On 25 October 2008, her three-year-old colt, Raven's Pass, won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. After being named the European champion 2-year-old in 2007 and winning the 2008 Epsom Derby, New Approach was retired at the end of the 2008 racing season.[8] In 2009, due to her contribution to the equine world, she was made the first Patron of Retraining of Racehorses.[9]
Princess Haya serves as president of the International Jordanian Athletes Cultural Association, which she founded to provide athletes with needed national incentive and support.[5]
International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Princess_Haya.jpg/170px-Princess_Haya.jpg)
Princess Haya participated in the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain,[7] and represented Jordan at the FEI General Assembly on several occasions.[5] She was elected president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) in 2006 for an initial four-year term in the FEI's first contested presidential race.[10] In 2010, she became the first sitting FEI president to be challenged in a re-election bid.[10] She succeeded, however, in winning a second and final four-year term, receiving 75 percent of the vote to soundly defeat her two European rivals.[11] Nonetheless, during the FEI's campaign to eliminate doping and horse abuse in equestrian sport, Princess Haya's husband and stepson were both convicted by the FEI in 2009 for serious doping violations. Princess Haya ceded presidential powers to a senior colleague for the FEI disciplinary processes on the matter. She later complained that the issue would be used to "injure and damage the reputations of myself and my family."[12]
Princess Haya frequently appeared, along with her husband, at Royal Ascot, the Epsom Derby and other highlights of the English equestrian calendar; both are reported to be friendly with Queen Elizabeth II.[13]
Charity
Princess Haya is the first Arab and first woman to become Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed her a UN Messenger of Peace in 2007.[14]
She founded Tkiyet Um Ali (TUA), the first Arab NGO dedicated to overcoming local hunger, in her native Jordan, which provides food assistance and employment opportunities to thousands of poor families. In November 2012, Tkiyet Um Ali announced a campaign to quadruple the number of its beneficiaries to reach 20,000 families living under the food poverty line, aiming to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals on hunger by 2015. Tkiyet Um Ali (TUA) is intended to expand to reach all Jordanian families with insufficient income to meet basic food needs. In addition, Dar Abu Abdullah (DAA) and TUA announced a strategic partnership[15] for a parallel jobs creation program to help TUA beneficiaries become more self-sufficient.[16]
Princess Haya chaired Dubai's International Humanitarian City which is the world's largest operational center for the delivery of aid, both in emergencies and for long-term development. Ten UN agencies and nearly 40 non-government organizations are members of the IHC which has supported relief efforts all over the globe, including for Syrian refugees affected by civil war, for East Africans during the last drought[which?], in Pakistan during the 2009 floods, and to Afghanistan and Yemen. The IHC has also hosted UN and NGO staff evacuated during emergencies and civil unrest.
She was an ambassador for the World Food Programme from 2005 to 2007,[17] and then appointed a UN Messenger of Peace in July 2007 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. She was a founding member of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Humanitarian Forum based in Geneva, and writes editorials and articles on hunger, nutrition and the UN Sustainable Development Goals which have appeared in the London Times, Le Figaro, the Globe and Mail, and La Repubblica. In August 2012, she supported the 2012 United Nations' World Humanitarian Day in Dubai.[18] Under her patronage, Dubai twice hosted the Global Meeting of the World Food Programme and is increasingly a center for United Nations and regional meetings on development and humanitarian aid.
Relief and charitable programmes in Jordan also benefitted from the support of the princess's consort, Sheikh Mohammed, specifically the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, the Haya Cultural Centre and the 'Reading Nation' campaign.[19]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/HRH_Princess_Haya_of_Jordan_meets_with_Tracy_Edwards_MBE.jpg/220px-HRH_Princess_Haya_of_Jordan_meets_with_Tracy_Edwards_MBE.jpg)
Princess Haya has followed in her father's footsteps in giving her support to the charitable foundation "Anything is possible", set up in the name of King Hussein to advance education for girls, including the project "The Maiden Factor", established by sailor Tracy Edwards with the relaunch of her yacht Maiden in 2018.[20][non-primary source needed]
She is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.[21]
Personal life
On 10 April 2004, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The marriage ceremony was held at al-Baraka Palace in Amman.[22][23]
On 2 December 2007 in Dubai, Princess Haya gave birth to her first child, Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.[24] The baby's birth coincided with the United Arab Emirates' 36th celebration of its National Day, on 2 December.[25] On 7 January 2012, she gave birth to her second child, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.[26]
She resides in a home in Kensington Palace Gardens.[27]
Court proceedings 2019–2020
On 7 February 2019, her husband divorced Princess Haya under Sharia law, though she was not informed at the time. The date was the twentieth anniversary of the death of her father, King Hussein of Jordan.[28]
On 15 April 2019, Princess Haya left Dubai with her children Sheikha Jalila and Sheikh Zayed to reside in the United Kingdom. The topic attracted immense media coverage all over the world, much of it incorrect.[29] She was reported to have applied for asylum in Germany, and the British newspaper The Times reported that she had been escorted by a German diplomat to Germany. The Times reported that Sheikh Mohammed allegedly posted a poem on Instagram, in Arabic and English, accusing his wife of treachery and betrayal.[29][30][31][32][33]
Wardship and early proceedings
On 14 May 2019, Sheikh Mohammed commenced proceedings in England and Wales under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court seeking orders for the children to be returned to the Emirate of Dubai.[34][35] On 30 July 2019 at the High Court, Princess Haya issued applications for the children to be made Wards of Court, and for a forced marriage protection order (FMPO) with respect to Jalila, and for a non-molestation order for her own protection.[36][37] As all the orders were granted, it can be assumed that there will be future litigation concerning the welfare of the children as Wards of Court (which is usual in such cases), and possibly, the non-molestation order. Such litigation is normally conducted in private.
Fact-finding judgment
On 11 December 2019, in the High Court of Justice Family Division, Royal Courts of Justice, London, the Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, handed down a Fact Finding Judgment (FFJ), subject to a four-hour embargo ending at 4 pm on 5 March 2020.
The President said he would "evaluate the risk of either or both of the children being removed from their mother’s care and taken to Dubai against her will."[38]
Assurances and waiver judgment
On 17 January 2020, the Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane handed down a further judgment, subject to a four-hour embargo ending at 4 pm on 5 March 2020. This judgment focussed upon analysing certain matters of international law and domestic law arising from, firstly, assurances given to the court on behalf of the Government of the UAE and the Emirate of Dubai and, secondly, a waiver of immunity made by Sheikh Mohammed, as vice-president and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with respect to applications and orders made within the proceedings.[39] The assurances essentially promised that the Sheikh would obey orders of the English court; the waiver of immunity was necessary because of the immunity enjoyed by the Sheikh having regard to his various positions. Both the assurances and the waiver were found inadequate by the High Court.
Publication judgment
On 5 March 2020, the Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane handed down a further judgment, subject to a four-hour embargo ending at 4 pm on 5 March 2020. This judgment bearing the date of 27 January 2020 focused on the issue of publication of at least one of the substantive judgments of 11 December 2019 and 17 January 2020, including the issue of identification of Princess Haya's children. The High Court found at para. 85 of this judgment that publication was necessary because "it will provide some measure of additional security for the protection of the children so that there is a high degree of clarity with respect to assertions that might be made on the ground by any individual who might attempt to abduct them and remove them from this jurisdiction. Without that clarity there is the potential for an individual to assert diplomatic or other form of immunity if challenged by, for example, the police. It is, therefore, both in the interest of the children and, also, the orderly operation of the security services, for this judgment to be readily available as soon as possible so that, to the extent that it may do, it provides real time protection for the children now, rather than at some stage in the future."[40]
Appeals
Up to this point, the hearings had been held almost entirely in private. The publication of the High Court judgments was stayed until appeals by Sheikh Mohammed contesting the publication of the judgments had been heard by the Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court. His appeal was rejected unanimously by the Court of Appeal.[41]
On 5 March 2020, the UK Supreme Court refused Sheikh Mohammed permission to make an appeal against publication of the High Court judgments of 11 December 2019 and 17 January 2020, saying his case did "not raise an arguable point of law of general public importance".[42]
Findings of the High Court
On 5 March 2020, the High Court found that Sheikh Mohammed had orchestrated the abductions of two of his other children.[43] Using the standard of evidence in civil cases (balance of probabilities, that is that it is more likely than not to be true) rather than the criminal law standard of beyond all reasonable doubt, the President of the Family Division accepted the following allegations. Firstly, that in August 2000 Sheikh Mohammed ordered and orchestrated the unlawful abduction of his daughter Sheikha Shamsa from the United Kingdom to Dubai. Secondly, that on two occasions in June 2002 and February 2018, Sheikh Mohammed ordered and orchestrated the forcible return of his daughter Sheikha Latifa to the family home in Dubai. In 2002, the return was from the border of Dubai with Oman, and in 2018 it was by an armed commando assault at sea near the coast of India. Sheikha Shamsa and Sheikha Latifa were, following their return to the custody of their father's family, allegedly deprived of their liberty. Thirdly, the High Court accepted that Princess Haya's ex-husband had conducted a campaign, by various means, with the aim of harassing, intimidating or otherwise putting her in great fear both in early 2019 when she was still in Dubai and at all times since her move to England in April 2019.
The President of the Family Division held that the allegations that Sheikh Mohammed ordered and orchestrated the kidnap and rendition to Dubai of his daughters Shamsa and Latifa were of a very high order of seriousness and might well involve findings, albeit on the civil standard, of behaviour which is contrary to the criminal law of England and Wales, international law, international maritime law, and internationally accepted human rights norms.[44]
Towards the beginning of the fact-finding judgment [para. 30, fact-finding judgment], Sir Andrew McFarlane described the sheikh as “a man of international prominence whose position and international standing justify a high level of respect”. An authoritative source commented: "After McFarlane’s explosive conclusions, it is unclear whether his flattering description still holds."[45]
Honors and awards
- Grand Cordon with Brilliants of the Order of the Renaissance (Jordan, 2006)
- Officer of the Legion of Honour, France, 26 September 2014[46]
- 2015 Hunger Hero Award, United Nations World Food Programme, Davos, Switzerland, 22 January 2015[47]
References
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (11 December 2019). "Al M (Factfinding) [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam)" (PDF). BAILII. The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Gort Scott wins contest for Oxford University college extension". Dezeen. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "HRH PRINCESS HAYA BINT AL HUSSEIN WFP GOODWILL AMBASSADOR" (PDF). Documents.wfp.org. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
- ^ "St Hilda's College, Oxford releases concept designs for Redefining St Hilda's invited competition — Malcolm Reading Consultants". malcolmreading.co.uk. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Two Stand Against HRH Princess Haya in FEI Presidential Election | eurodressage". www.eurodressage.com. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "FEI PRESIDENT HRH PRINCESS HAYA". International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ a b Thomas, Katie (24 September 2010). "Princess Haya of Jordan Has Shaken Up the Equestrian World". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "H.R.H. Princess Haya of Jordan". Archived from the original on 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Patronages". Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Two stand against Princess Haya for FEI president". Horse & Hound. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Katie (6 November 2010). "Princess Haya Re-elected President". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Dunbar, Graham (12 April 2009). "Horse doping proves a royal headache for princess". USA Today. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Yee, Vivian; Kirkpatrick, David D. (2 July 2019). "Princess Haya, Wife of Dubai's Ruler, Seeks Refuge in London". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "FEI President HRH Princess Haya named OIE Goodwill Ambassador: OIE - World Organisation for Animal Health". www.oie.int. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Tkiyet Um Ali and Dar Abu Abdullah Join Hands to Support the Underprivileged". TKIYET UM ALI. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ "Tkiyet Um Ali". Tkiyet Um Ali. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ "Contributor | HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein marks UN World Humanitarian Day | International Humanitarian City | AMEinfo.com". ameinfo.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ "King Abdullah lauds UAE, Mohammed's role in Arab world". Khaleej Times. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "Anything is possible". Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ "IPC Honorary Board". IPC. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein - profile". Archived from the original on 30 September 2005. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ "In this handout from the Royal Court of Jordan, Sheikh Mohamed Bin..." Getty Images. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Jordan News Agency - Petra - Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, Princess Haya name their new baby girl Aljalila". Archived from the original on 29 January 2009.
- ^ "Photo from Reuters Pictures". daylife.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ "Mohammed is blessed with a baby boy, names him 'Zayed'". Emirates 24|7. 8 January 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (20 February 2020). ""You're Essentially a Prisoner": Why Do Dubai's Princesses Keep Trying to Escape?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Re Al M [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam)
- ^ a b Brown, David; Ames, Jonathan; Low, Valentine (3 July 2019). "Sheikh's wife seeks haven in UK 'fearing for her life'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Wife of ruler of Dubai reportedly flees United Arab Emirates with her two children, www.abc.net.au, 1 Jule 2019
- ^ Bowcott, Owen; Hollingsworth, Mark (1 July 2019). "Dubai's ruler battles wife in UK court after she fled emirate". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ Frank Gardner (2 July 2019). "Princess Haya: Dubai ruler's wife in UK 'in fear of her life'". BBC security correspondent. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Dubai ruler's wife flees to London in bid for political asylum Dubai ruler's wife flees to London in bid for political asylum". SBS News. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Moisescu, Cristiana (5 July 2019). "Dubai ruler sues wife Princess Haya in UK's High Court". CNN. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Collman, Ashley (5 July 2019). "The life of Princess Haya, the sixth wife of Dubai's ruler who has fled to the UK for a divorce". Insider Inc. Malaysia. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Dubai ruler's wife seeks protection order". BBC News. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (11 December 2019). "Al M (Factfinding) [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam)" (PDF). BAILII. The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (11 December 2019). "Al M (Factfinding) [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam)" (PDF). BAILII. The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (17 January 2020). "Al M (Assurances And Waiver), Re [2020] EWHC 67 (Fam)" (PDF). BAILII. The British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (27 January 2020). "[2020] EWHC 122 (Fam) Case No: FD19P00246, FD19P00380, FD19F05020, FD19F00064" (PDF). Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. HM Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Bowcott, Owen (28 February 2020). "Dubai ruler loses appeal over release of two UK court judgments". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Holden, Michael (5 March 2020). "UK Supreme Court refuses permission for Dubai ruler to appeal publicity ruling". Reuters. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Bowcott, Owen; Siddique, Haroon (5 March 2020). "Dubai ruler organised kidnapping of his children, UK court rules". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ McFarlane, Andrew (20 January 2020). "[2020] EWHC 122 (Fam) Case No: FD19P00246, FD19P00380, FD19F05020, FD19F00064" (PDF). Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. HM Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Siddique, Haroon; Cook, Chris (5 March 2020). "Kidnapping court judgment: can Sheikh Mohammed's reputation survive?". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "France Grants HRH Princess Haya the National Order of the Legion of Honor". princesshaya.net. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Princess Haya To Receive WFP Hunger Hero Award In Davos". World Food Programme. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
External links
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- 1974 births
- Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Olympic equestrians of Jordan
- Owners of Epsom Derby winners
- International Olympic Committee members
- Living people
- Jordanian princesses
- Jordanian people of Palestinian descent
- People educated at Bryanston School
- People educated at Badminton School
- House of Hashim
- Alumni of St Hilda's College, Oxford
- Tuqan family
- United Nations Messengers of Peace
- FAO Goodwill ambassadors
- Jordanian female equestrians
- Recipients of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
- Royal Olympic participants
- Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
- Daughters of kings