An Instagram profile that appears to belong to Princess Latifa, the Dubai royal who claimed to have been held hostage by her father, has posted a photo and a statement repeating claims that she is “free and living an independent life”.
The daughter of the billionaire ruler of Dubai has not been publicly seen or heard from in more than a year.
Sky News has reached out to the account and to the UAE Embassy to confirm whether the Instagram account belongs to the princess and if they will comment on the matter.
Instagram accounts belonging to women known to be associated with Princess Latifa are among those interacting with this new profile.
A photo was published on the account on Wednesday at 4pm UK time appearing to show Princess Latifa in front of the Swarovski Crystal Worlds attraction in Austria.
The post claims the photo was taken a few months ago, but this is not possible to verify as Instagram removes data from photos – including when a picture was taken.
A statement has been published alongside the image, saying: “I want to share my sincere gratitude to everyone who has shown compassion towards me over the past few years. In that time, my life has changed in so many ways and I am looking forward to the next chapter.”
Princess Latifa says she is ‘living as she wishes’ as she is pictured with UN commissioner
Princess Latifa: New photo emerges of Dubai royal in Iceland as campaign to free her is disbanded
Princess Latifa: New photo of Dubai royal wearing face mask in Madrid airport posted online
It goes on to say the post is in response to continued media enquiries regarding whether Princess Latifa has control of her own life and is free to do as she wishes.
The statement continues: “I can understand it from the outside perspective of seeing someone so outspoken fall off the grid and have others speak on her behalf, especially after everything that has happened which appears to make me look like I’m being controlled. I am totally free and living an independent life.
“I live in Dubai for most of the year and can travel also, which is what I want.
“Again, I wish to thank everyone who’s supported me and cared, I am extremely grateful.”
The last sighting of her is believed to have been a photo of the Dubai Royal with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The photo appeared in February last year, but Sky News was able to confirm the image had actually been taken the previous November.
In 2021, secret video messages passed to Sky News were published. In them, the princess claimed her father was holding her hostage.
After the videos, the UN and world leaders expressed concern for the princess.
In May 2021, a photo was posted to social media showing Princess Latifa in public for the first time since her videos were released. A handful of photos were shared on social media over the following months before news of the princess stopped.
The photos were first posted on the Instagram accounts of two women.
These women, who describe themselves as friends of the royal, are among those interacting with this new profile.
They have shared and liked the post, as well as being listed in the handful of followers currently connected to this account.
The unverified Instagram account has “Latifa Al Maktoum” in the name field and is a public profile, meaning anyone can access it.
Her family, including her father Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, have always denied any mistreatment of Princess Latifa and say they have always acted in her best wishes.
Allegations regarding the treatment of both Princess Latifa and her sister Shamsa were heard during a High Court battle in London in 2020 between the Sheikh and his former wife, Princess Haya.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
Why data journalism matters to Sky News
