The plotline reads like an international high-society drama: A glamorous princess, fleeing her marriage to an aging Gulf potentate, is said to seek shelter in the poshest precincts of London.

The escape of a high-profile royal casts an uncomfortable glare on women’s rights in the Gulf Arab monarchies amid a stream of runaway cases and asylum bids

A Middle Eastern princess fled to London after her billionaire husband became concerned at her apparent closeness to her British bodyguard, it was claimed yesterday. Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, 45, is involved in legal action in London with her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 69, the ruler of Dubai.

The sixth wife of Dubai’s billionaire ruler is in hiding in London as she prepares for a court battle with her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, in a case that appears to be connected to the mysterious disappearance of Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter from another marriage, according to British media reports.

Mary Robinson has denied that she was friends with the rulers of the United Arab Emirates. Ms Robinson, the former Irish president, said at a climate change conference yesterday: “I have never been friends, except with Princess Haya. One friend. Who is still my friend.”