Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra has announced her Sheikh Mana Al Maktoum’s divorce via her official Instagram account. The news has caused a stir in the Middle Eastern media and on social media, where the princess has more than 537,000 followers.

“Dear husband, as you are busy with other companies (…) I’m getting divorced, I’m getting divorced, I’m getting divorced. Take care of yourself, your ex-wife,” Mahra wrote in her post, using the triple ‘talaq’ (divorce) formula according to Islamic tradition. The couple’s relationship, which culminated in a lavish wedding in June 2023 at a cost of more than $50 million, has ended just over a year later.

Princess Mahra, 24, has deleted all images of her husband from social media, including those from their wedding and honeymoon. The couple has a two-month-old daughter.born on May 1, which Mahara had recently boasted about on her social networks.

Meanwhile, Mana Al Maktoum has not issued any public statementor about the separation, remaining silent both in the media and on social networks.

This divorce comes in a context of increasing visibility and prominence of women in Emirati society. Since February of last year, “Free” divorce is legal in Dubaiand Mahara positions herself as a pioneer in exercising this right in the public sphere. Her decision to announce the divorce on Instagram reflects a freedom rare among Emirati women, backed by her considerable personal fortune and her status as the favourite of her father, the Emir of Dubai, Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

He Emir of Dubai He is no stranger to controversy, having himself been involved in a high-profile divorce in 2021, when Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan fled to the UK alleging abuse. The emir was forced to pay $650 million in one of the most expensive divorces in history.

The Emirati royal family remains under international scrutiny, especially following incidents involving the emir’s daughters. In 2021, the Princess Latifa Al Maktoum She alleged in a series of videos that she was being held against her will after trying to escape the country in 2018. Tensions with Princess Haya also led to legal disputes in British courts, highlighting internal conflicts within Dubai’s ruling family.