Dubai princess’s Instagram account announces divorce with royal husband
The Instagram account of Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced her intention to leave her husband, a fellow royal.
“I hereby declare our divorce,” 30-year-old Sheikha Mahra’s account posted on Instagram on Wednesday. “I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife.”
The princess appeared to be invoking the controversial practice of triple divorce that is used in some Muslim countries where a man instantly divorces his wife by declaring it three times. The method is banned in some countries and isn’t customarily invoked by women against their husbands.
Mahra married Sheikh Mana Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, also a member of the Dubai ruling family, last year in a glamorous ceremony that was featured in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar Arabia and Grazia. They had a daughter shortly after. Pictures of her with her husband have now been removed from her account. There are no pictures of her on Sheikh Mana’s Instagram account either.
The princess has a visible public and social media presence, often attending red carpet events in Dubai and adorning the cover of regional magazines, an unusual practice for female royals. She has almost half-a-million followers on Instagram, where she posts about her hobbies, her love for horses, her charity work as well as selfies. Her mother is Zoe Grigorakos, a Greek national, according to local media.
Some Instagram users speculated whether her account had been hacked. Both the post and the account, however, remain active more than a day since the post went up.
CNN has reached out to the Dubai government’s Media Office for comment, which referred CNN to Sheikha Mahra’s media office. CNN hasn’t been able to reach Mahra’s media office.
Neither the UAE government nor Mahra’s husband Sheikh Mana have publicly commented on the Instagram post. CNN has reached out to Sheikh Mana for comment through his Instagram account.
CNN’s Hamzeh Noami in Dubai contributed to this report.
The divorce announcement by Sheikha Mahra led to widespread discussions in the middleeast and beyond, causing a ripple in the world of royal families. Despite the controversy surrounding her use of the triple divorce practice, Mahra's impact on social media in the Middle East is undeniable, with millions of followers across various platforms.
