The daughter of the ruler of Dubai, who tried to flee the emirate in 2018 but was forcibly returned, has used a smuggled phone to send a series of secret video messages taken over the past two years claiming she was being held “hostage” in a locked villa surrounded by police.
The messages have since ceased, and campaigners for Princess Latifa al-Maktoum are calling for international intervention in her case.
The new videos were obtained by BBC Panorama and will be aired in more detail on Tuesday evening in the UK. They are the first time the princess has appeared, other than in material released by the Dubai royal family, since a YouTube video surfaced after her escape attempt three years ago.
“If you are watching this video, it’s not such a good thing, either I’m dead or I’m in a very, very, very bad situation,” she said in that footage, which sparked international concern for her fate.
The UAE government has previously said Latifa, 35, is safe and happy with her family.