A wife of the ruler of Dubai is seeking sanctuary in Britain in fear of her life after fleeing with £31 million, it was claimed yesterday. Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, 45, and her husband Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 69, are embroiled in High Court action in London over the future of their family. The…

Few world leaders are known to write poetry. Fewer still offer it up for public consumption. And almost none record their marital breakups in verse on their personal websites.

Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, is in hiding in London and said to be in fear for her life after fleeing her husband.

The mansion stands in picture-perfect splendour overlooking Kensington Palace on a tree-lined private road known as Billionaires’ Row guarded by liveried gatekeepers. Outside, on Britain’s most expensive street, all is calm. But behind the bullet-proof glass of the mansion on Palace Green, a menacing domestic drama is being played out.

British government alleged to have been lobbied for return of Princess Haya