Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and one of the world’s richest men, has written a furious poem denouncing treachery and betrayal after his wife, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the daughter of the late King of Jordan and sister of the present king, secretly fled to Europe with their son Zayed, 7, and daughter Al Jalila, 11.

Haya is believed to have initially sought asylum in Germany, and sources say her application has been approved in principle.

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The flight of Haya will inevitably draw comparisons with the failed attempt by bin Rashid’s daughter, Princess Shiekha Latifa, to flee Dubai last year. Latifa tried to get out, but was intercepted at sea off India and returned the United Arab Emirates. She had previously recorded a YouTube video in which she criticized her father and the restrictions she lived under.

Haya was criticized after she helped Dubai spin the Latifa story, appearing alongside former Irish President Mary Robinson and a dazed and listless Latifa after her capture to show she was unharmed.

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