HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai spoke to an Irish national radio show defending Mary Robinson’s visit to Dubai.

During the visit, Ms Robinson, the former Irish president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, met with Sheikha Latifa, daughter of HH Sheikh Mohammed – who was rumoured to be missing for the past six months.

Ms Robinson has faced backlash on social media since the visit, with some angered netizens claiming she’s ‘sugar-coating’ human rights.

HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein spoke to the Marian Finucane Show on Ireland’s RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday; in a rare interview she stated how she alone requested the visit as she wanted advice from a trusted friend on how to move forward on a period she described as heart-breaking for her family.

Recommended

A Dubai Restaurant Is Charging AED 1,000 For Pineapple Pizza As A Statement Against ItA Woman Had 90kg Of The Viral Dubai Chocolate Seized At A German Airport9 Changes To Expect In The UAE In 2025

‘If I thought for a single second that any shred of this was true, I wouldn’t put up with it or stand for it’

‘If I thought for a single second that any shred of this was true, I wouldn’t put up with it or stand for it,’ Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein told @MarianRTE in response to questions about Princess Sheikha Latifa and President Mary Robinson’s visit to Dubai.

— Marian Finucane (@MarianRTE) January 5, 2019

“I asked Mary to come to Dubai because it mattered deeply to me. I wanted to get the right advice from Mary on how to move forward. I wanted her to give me that counsel.” – HRH Princess Haya

Describing the situation as ‘deeply private’ and ‘devastating’, the wife of Dubai’s ruler told how she asked the Irish Independent politician to visit as she believed she could offer honest advice.

HRH Princess Haya declared there was no commission; Haya made a call on a Tuesday describing the difficulties she and her family were facing and Robinson travelled to the UAE five days later.

HRH Princess Haya recognised Robinson’s integrity in her career that spans decades and includes five years serving as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002, a woman who doesn’t ‘mince her words’ was a strong choice for someone who could give honest council to her family.

She stated she’s deeply sorry her actions (requesting the visit) which lead to the criticism of someone she respects and admires, “Mary has a legacy that speaks for itself. Nothing I can say or anyone else can say can take that away from her. Her track record is unblemished.”

This is the first time Princess Haya has spoken about the incident

This morning Marian speaks to Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein in relation to former President Mary Robinson’s trip to Dubai to meet with Sheika Latifa. This is the 1st time Princess Haya has spoken about the visit and the events that took place around it @RTERadio1 #marian pic.twitter.com/NCcdd3KXix

— Marian Finucane (@MarianRTE) January 5, 2019

‘I’m not going to allow a vulnerable young woman to continue to be used and exploited by people with their own agendas’ Princess Haya Bint Al Hussien told @MarianRTE about the visit of President Mary Robinson to Dubai to see Princess Sheikha Latifa.

— Marian Finucane (@MarianRTE) January 5, 2019

The media’s treatment of this case has been ludicrous

Dubai’s royal family were asked to provide proof of life for Sheikha Latifa which Haya describes as ‘absurd’. The family remains committed to providing support for Latifa, who’s currently undergoing care and who Ms Robinson described as a ‘troubled young woman’.

Ms Robinson declared in a statement that she’s dismayed by the media’s reaction to her visit, which she took to make an assessment ‘not a judgement, based on personal witness, in good faith and to the best of my ability.”

Get breaking news via WhatsApp: message ‘subscribe me’ to +971 52 302 3896