Dubai ruler’s wife seeks UK protection order

The estranged wife of the ruler of Dubai has applied for a UK forced marriage protection order relating to their children, a London court heard Tuesday. Princess Haya, 45, a wife of 70-year-old United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, has applied for the order, as well as for wardship of their children, and a non-molestation order relating to herself, the High Court heard.   According to UK’s Press Association news agency, the judge allowed the media to report limited details of the case.  Sheikh Mohammed, who has asked for his children to return to Dubai where he lives, was not present in court.  A forced marriage protection order can be made under English law to protect a person from being forced into a marriage or help someone already in forced marriage, for example by preventing the person from being taken abroad. Princess Haya is a daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and a half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan.