Queen shuns Dubai’s ruler after kidnapping decision disclosed Britain

The Queen is to distance herself from the billionaire ruler of Dubai after a court ruled that he kidnapped two of his daughters, The Times has learned.

The British monarch and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid alMaktoum have had a close relationship for decades through their shared love of horse racing, and he has been a guest in the royal box at Ascot.

However, she is now expected to refuse to be photographed with him in public, after a British judge ruled that he kidnapped his daughters Shamsa and Latifa and had them brought back to Dubai.

The decision could have an impact on Britain’s relationship with the UAE, a key ally.

Sheikh Mohammed, 70, was also said to have caused Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, then his wife, to be in fear of her life after discovering her affair with a bodyguard. She fled last year to her £75 million home in west London with their two children, Jalila, now 12, and Zayed, seven. The couple have since divorced.

The claims about their lives were disclosed after the Supreme Court ruled that a judgment in their custody battle for the children could be made public.

As well as being the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed is vice-president and prime minister of the UAE, a federation of seven semi-autonomous states.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been seeking to strengthen ties with Gulf states after Britain’s departure from the European Union.

The Queen has been photographed with Sheikh Mohammed, and has for a decade received annual gifts of horses from him, and also uses his stud services.

If the Queen were to shun the sheikh completely, it could have serious consequences. Dubai is a key intelligence and defence partner in the Persian Gulf, and the UAE is one of the biggest markets for British arms manufacturers.

The UAE has repeatedly pressured the British government over unflattering depictions of its royal family in the media.

Sheikh Mohammed was accused in court of ordering his agents to abduct Princess Shamsa in Cambridge, after she escaped in 2000 from the family’s country estate. The judge ruled that he had orchestrated her abduction and forced captivity.

He also found that the sheikh was behind the kidnapping of Princess Latifa, 34, who was taken from a yacht in the Indian Ocean in 2018.