31st Jul 2019

In the press: Princess Haya turns to the Courts for protection in her legal battle against the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The case is currently being heard in the Family Court Division of the High Court in London where the Princess is, according to recent news, seeking a forced marriage protection order for her child, a non-molestation order and wardship of their children. Interestingly, Sheikh Mohammed has sought an order for their children to be returned to Dubai as well as a reporting restriction order which the Court has rejected.

Forced marriages have recently featured heavily in the news and the use of forced marriage protection orders in the UK is rising. It is said that more than 1,800 forced marriage protection orders have been made in the last 10 years and the UK itself saw its first successful prosecutions last year. The Home Office reports that they have seen a 47% increase in reported forced marriages this year alone.

It is sad to see the private battle of a couple being aired in the public forum of the Court. There are other more discreet and private options for resolving disputes including mediation, family arbitration and collaborative law. If you’d like to find out more about these processes, please speak to any of our leading and family divorce lawyers at Family Law in Partnership on E: hello@flip.co.uk or T: 020 7420 5000.