Princess Haya, the now estranged sixth wife of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, allegedly had a two-year-long affair with her British bodyguard and shelled out a whopping $6.4 million to keep it secret, according to reports. Princess Haya allegedly used to seduce her bodyguard repeatedly till they entered into a whirlwind romance that lasted for over two years.
Their affair came to light only recently during a London High Court hearing against her 70-year-old estranged husband, according to a report in the Daily Mail. The court initially didn't want to identify the bodyguard but local media reports claim that the bodyguard was 37-year-old Russell Flowers, who used to be regularly showered with expensive gifts by the princess.
Inside the Royal Affair
Princess Haya's affair came to light during a child-custody fact-finding ruling in London's High Court that said she "embarked upon an adulterous relationship with one of her male bodyguards." She eventually won custody of their two children and they currently live in an £85 million home in Kensington, West London. However, the hearing also exposed a lot of things.
According to local media reports, Princess Haya allegedly paid Flowers $1.6 million to keep the affair secret from Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, sources told the Daily Mail.
The 46-year-old princess also showed Flowers with a slew of expensive gifts including a $16,000 watch and a $66,000 vintage shotgun. Besides, she also gifted him a personalized RU55ELLS number plate.
Princess Haya, who is the daughter of the late King of Jordan, also paid a hefty amount to three other Dubai royal family bodyguards who knew about the affair that started in 2016, the outlet reported. "When she was in the UK she would be out with him almost every night and sometimes they did not return home until the following morning. On overseas trips the princess would always insist that they have connecting rooms," a source told the outlet.
End of a Happy Marriage
Flowers' wife initially didn't know about the affair but soon started suspecting. His wife's friends have now revealed that once she found out about their affair she was devastated, bringing an end to their four-year-long marriage. One of the family friends told the outlet that Flowers' wife would notice him receiving calls and messages every night from the princess when he would get home.
His wife reportedly became suspicious when she found photos of Princess Haya posing in a swimming costume in Flowers' room. A few months later he told his wife that he didn't love her any more but denied he was having a relationship with the princess, the Flower family friend told the outlet.
Once the cheating got exposed in 2018, the princess had no option but to flee Dubai on being confronted by her then husband. However, the Sheikh, despite being successful in proving that his wife was cheating on him didn't manage to get custody of their 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.
Instead, the London High Court ruled that he inflicted a "campaign of intimidation" against Princess Haya and taunted her over the affair. It included divorcing her without intimating her and reportedly having guns left in her bedroom and trying to get her abducted by helicopter.
