44 The Australian Women’s Weekly|MAY 2019
Dressedin a maroonsportstopand
jeans,Latifaappearsheavy-eyedand
unsmiling,conspicuouslyavoiding
lookingintothecamera.In aninterview,
MrsRobinsonlaterdescribedheras
“vulnerableandtroubled”,andsaid
thatshewasreceivingpsychiatric
help.Buthervisit– at theroyal
family’sexpense– hasbeenwidely
denouncedasservingtheMaktoums’
attemptstoconcealtherealstory.
“Thereis noevidencetosupport
thesuggestionthatshehasmental
problems,”saysRadhaStirling,a
London-basedAustralianlawyer
whoheads#FreeLatifa,a group
campaigningfortheprincess’s
freedom.“Thephotographswerea
stunt,intendedtomakeherlookfine
andstaveoffsomeofthepressure,but
fromwhatweknowsheis keptin
solitaryconfinement,andprobably
drugged.Orworse.”
Fromanearlyage,Latifa,oneofthe
sheikh’ssixdaughtersbyhisnumerous
wives,hadshownanunusually
adventurousstreak.AnnetteMorrisey,
a Britishdanceteacherwhoattended
Dubai’sprestigiousInternational
Schoolwiththeprincess,remembers
herbeinginsatiablycuriousaboutthe
worldbeyondthetinyGulfkingdom.
“Ifyouhada fashionorceleb
magazine,she’dbedesperateto
borrowit.Shejustseemedamazed
andenthralledbythisideathatpeople
couldactuallyhavethesekindsof
lives.Shewasbarelyin herteensthen,
andyoucouldjustsenseherchaffing
at hersituation.”
Latifawas 16 whenshefirst
attemptedtoleaveDubai.Theplan,
suchasit was,involvedcrossinginto
neighbouringOman,findinga lawyer
andsomehowheadingontoa third
country.Butshehadnotraveldocuments
andwasstoppedat theborder,
returnedtothepalaceand,shealleges,
imprisoned,druggedandsystematically
torturedforthenextthreeyears.
Inlittlemorethanthreedecades,
Dubai,partoftheUnitedArab
Emirates,hastransformeditselffrom
a down-at-heeldeserttradingstation
intooneofthemostglamorous
destinationsonearth.Oilprovidedthe
early lift-off, but today the city sells
itselfasa futuristicfantasyland,
studdedwithglitzyshoppingmalls,
soaringskyscrapers,hipbeachside
resorts,and– crucially– thekindof
hands-offapproachtolifethatis hard
tofindin mostoftheIslamicworld.
It waseasytoseeLatifaas
emblematicofallthis.Shespoke
aneasy,GenX-styleEnglish,liked
Westernfilmsandmusic,andin so
farasit waspossible,revelledin her
free-spiritedness.A featurein the
magazineEmiratesWomanshows
herskydivingoverthesapphire
watersofthePersianGulf,beneath
theheadline“SheikhaLatifa,the
daredevilroyalwho’sinspiringus
alltobemoreadventurous.”
Mostofthis,saycritics,amounts
toanelaboratecharade,masking
whatis in effecta policestate,
ruthlesslyoperatedbytheMaktoums.
Thepersonalauthorityofthe69-year-
oldsheikh,worthanestimated
$18.5billion,is feltin everyaspect
ofDubailife,andheexpectsa similar
levelofobediencefromhisfamily.
Ina hauntingvideoaddress,leftby
Latifa on the eve of her escape attemptlastyear,shedescribesherfatheras:
“ThemostevilpersonI haveevermet.
Heis pureevil.Hedoesn’tcareabout
anyone.Heonlycaresabouthis
reputationandhisego.”
Shegoesontosaythatwomen–
evenroyalwomenlikeherself– are
“completelydisposable”,andthatshe
is watchedandfollowedat alltimes.
Confinedtowhatshedescribesas “a
houseofdepressedwomen”,shetells
ofbeingpreventednotonlyfrom
travellingabroad,butevenfrom
visitingthehomesoffriendswithout
supervision.Clearlyanticipatingthat
theventureshewasabouttoembark
onwouldbejudgedtooincredibleto
betrue,sheadds:“Theywill,forsure,
trytodiscreditthisvideo,tosayit is
a lieoranactressorsomething.”
Onthemorningof February24,2018,
shemetat a cafewithTinaJauhiainen,
a 42-year-oldmartialartsinstructor
froma smalltownin Finland.Tina,
ofsimilarlyadventurousnature,had
arrivedin DubaiviaLondonin 2001,
firstworkingin therealestatebusiness,
thenopeningherownfitnesscentre.
Both women were devotees ofLastDecember,thepalace
releasedphotographsofLatifa,
whoappearedheavy-eyed,
meetingformerIrishPMMary
Robinson,whosaidtheprincess
was receiving psychiatric help.The last photos