King of Jordan visits Boris Johnson in London as his half-sister Princess Haya seeks refuge in the city as she battles her estranged billionaire Dubai ruler husband in the UK courts after fleeing the Gulf state with their children
The King of Jordan held talks with Boris Johnson today – as his half-sister remains in hiding in London as she seeks a divorce from her Dubai ruler husband.
Abdullah II met the Prime Minister in Downing Street today for a working lunch to discuss issues including the Syrian refugee crisis.
Jordan is a longstanding British ally in the Middle East.
Elsewhere in the capital Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, 45, is in a secret location as she seeks a divorce from billionaire Gulf leader Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum.
The princess is in the middle of a High Court fight to secure a forced marriage protection order for their two children – and stop them leaving Britain.
She claims to have fled Dubai with her two children to hide in the UK ‘in fear of her life’ after becoming estranged from Sheik Mohammed.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: ‘The leaders reflected on the close bilateral relationship and longstanding friendship between our countries.
King Abdullah II visited Boris Johnson in Downing Street today (right). His half-sister Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the estranged wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (pictured together, left, in 2017) is seeking a protection order in Britain
Abdullah II met the Prime Minister in Downing Street today for a working lunch to discuss issues including the Syrian refugee crisis
‘They noted the positive impact of the Jordan Growth and Opportunity Conference earlier this year. The Prime Minister welcomed the King’s progress in delivering economic reforms and urged continued momentum.
‘The leaders also acknowledged Jordan’s important role in maintaining regional stability and the Prime Minister thanked the King for the part Jordan continues to play in hosting Syrian refugees.’
Haya and the King are the children of King Hussein, who was succeeded on the throne in Amman by Abdullah II in 1999.
King Abdullah has visited Sheik Mohammed’s UAE twice in the past month – including one Abu Dhabi trip on the eve of the first hearing – in what diplomatic sources said were attempts to maintain good relations with the Gulf state in the wake of the court case.
And sources close to Princess Haya said her decision to fight her legal battle in London was meant partly to spare King Abdullah’s blushes.
Pictured: the Oxford-educated princess, 45, (right) leaving court last week with her lawyer Fiona Shackleton
Princess Haya was swept into the RCJ in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes and surrounded by security
Jordan’s Prince Ali Al Hussein, 43, hugs his sister Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, 45, at her London home in a picture posted on Twitter
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