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Campside Media Host
Campsite Media hi y'all. Welcome back to Infamous. You're about to hear the first episode in our series on Dubai's missing princesses. We first aired this in 2023 and since then there's only been more intrigue over the world's missing royals. I mean, remember when Internet conspiracy theorists were convinced Kate Middleton had disappeared when she actually was just dealing with a cancer diagnosis? But unlike Kate, this is the story of several very real disappearances about women desperately attempting to escape a gilded cage with dire consequences. We hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.
Narrator
Welcome to Dubai. It's a dazzling metropolis in the United Arab Emirates. Flanked by rolling sand dunes and the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf. This is one of the world's great cities.
Giant islands, a shape of palms that could be seen from space. The world's tallest skyscraper, a modern day Tower of Babel, the only seven star hotel in the world.
Dubai is a playground for expats and the mega rich.
How many handbags do you have?
Campside Media Host
I don't know.
Where else in the world can you live like this?
Tina Yauhiainen
It's magic.
Narrator
Who is responsible for this world of earthly delights? Well, there's one man who takes credit. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Welcome to Dubai. Sheikmo, as he's called, is the all powerful ruler of Dubai. He's 73 years old, but his beard is jet black, which might mean it's dyed. And overall the look is very stern. Arab dad Sheikh Mohammed.
Whatever the sheikh wants gets done and fast.
Shek Mo is a monarch, but he's sort of like a cool monarch. He drives around in a white Mercedes G Class suv, the license plate number one. Although extremely wealthy, they manage to remain.
Campside Media Host
Humble in the eyes of their subjects and are devoted to public issues in both Dubai and the uae.
Narrator
He projects the image of a progressive democratic ruler, or at least progressive for the Gulf region. He's a poet, an author, a horse lover. Some horses just give you that feeling, you know, telling you that there is something about them through their eyes. You can See their heart and the horses is fantastic. Sounds pretty great, huh? Sheikh Mo seems like the perfect leader for his country. A man whose vision helped turn Dubai from a speck on the map to a world renowned destination. A man who represents wealth, prestige and progress. And of all the things that are big about Dubai, the skyscrapers, the overseas horse races, the money. There's one more thing. Sheikmo's family. At certain points, he's had multiple wives at once, which is permitted under the country's Sharia law. And a lot of children. He's thought to have up to 30 kids.
Campside Media Host
Sheikh Mohammed is so generous.
Natalie Robamed
They.
Campside Media Host
They've always been brought up to see giving around them.
Narrator
This was the general assessment, but there was one child who didn't agree.
Latifa Al Maktoum
All my father cares about is his reputation. He will kill people. They don't care. Especially if you're a female. Your life is so disposable, they don't care. He's the most evil person I've ever met in my life. He's pure evil.
Narrator
From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, this is infamous. And I'm Vanessa Gregoriadas. This is episode one of our four part series, the Missing Princesses. This week we're telling yet another dramatic story about the rich and famous. But this one is from halfway across the world. It's a story I've done a lot of reporting on, but I'm also going to be joined as a co host by Natalie Robamed. She's a writer on our team and she has a personal link to the country. So, Natalie, tell us about that.
Natalie Robamed
Yeah, I actually grew up in the UAE and I lived there until I was 18, first in Abu Dhabi and then in Dubai.
Narrator
So what was that like?
Natalie Robamed
Well, it was interesting. The UAE is this tiny sliver of a nation, slightly smaller than Maine. It's right next to Saudi Arabia and it was officially formed in 1971 from a bunch of these kind of tiny city states ruled by different royal families.
Narrator
Who are the sheikhs?
Campside Media Host
Right, exactly, exactly.
Natalie Robamed
So the male members of those ruling families are called sheikhs and the female members are called sheikhas. You'd be surprised to think about it now, but back in the 90s, when I tell people where I was from, they'd be like, dubai, where is that?
Narrator
I mean, are you trying to say that Americans don't care about the rest of the world?
Natalie Robamed
Not, no. But yeah, there was a time when not a lot of people had heard of Dubai. I mean, the UAE's only 51 years old as a country before Then. And before oil money changed everything, it was known as the Trucial States.
Narrator
So that's like when people say, oh, these people, they were just living in tents. Like, is. I mean, is that the truth or what was it like back then?
Natalie Robamed
Well, it's definitely a little Orientalist way of describing it.
Narrator
Yeah.
Natalie Robamed
But, yeah, I mean, it was nowhere near as developed as it was now. They were nomadic people. I mean, the main industry was pearl diving and trading. So there's a grain of truth in there.
Narrator
But when you were growing up, it was obviously more sophisticated than that.
Natalie Robamed
Yeah, I mean, when I was growing up there in the 90s, Dubai was definitely still relatively small, but it was really, really rapidly developing as a tourism destination. It kind of marketed itself to all these foreigners as a safe haven with permanent sunshine, even in the dead of winter.
Narrator
So people flooded over and then suddenly it becomes this, like, champagne brunch, Louis Vuitton toting hellscape, like. Right.
Natalie Robamed
Yeah. I mean, there was a point in the 2000s when I started to see tour buses on the way to school and I was like, oh, this has really changed. And that is the world that you can now see on the Real Housewives of Dubai.
Narrator
There's a lot of gold here and we have a lot of gold diggers, too.
Natalie Robamed
The thing that's so weird about Dubai.
Campside Media Host
Is there was always this other side.
Natalie Robamed
To it, a terrifying side. You could be arrested for being gay or for being a man allegedly wearing women's clothes. There was no freedom of speech. You'd try to buy an issue of Vogue and there'd be big black Sharpie marks over nipples or other body parts which were considered too risque back then. Even the Internet was censored by the government. If you tried to log into a website, the government didn't log. Like, it would be blocked and an error message would pop up and.
Narrator
And what would it say?
Natalie Robamed
Oh, man, it would basically say that the site is blocked because it's inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.
Narrator
But their. But their values are. Are consistent with Real Housewives values. I mean, what are these people doing living in Dubai then?
Natalie Robamed
Money, That's. That's a big part of it. People put up with it because it's.
Campside Media Host
Basically a tax haven.
Natalie Robamed
You don't really have to pay any.
Campside Media Host
Income tax to live there, so you.
Natalie Robamed
Can make lots of money. And it's kind of a set of golden handcuffs.
Narrator
And that's what our story is about. It's about what happened to three princesses when they try to break out of those golden handcuffs. Natalie will kick it off after the break.
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Campside Media Host
You're listening to Infamous from Campside Media.
Before we get into the epic tale of what happened with Sheikha Latifa and her father, I want to note that there was one thing she was known for, and it definitely wasn't handcuffs. It was an act of total freedom. At least metaphorically speaking. She was jumping out of airplanes. Picture it over and over, many, many times. Latifah is in a black skydiving suit, free falling from hundreds of feet above the aqua blue Persian Gulf. She has the best view of Dubai, the city, the sea, the Desert. She's wearing pink and orange sunglasses that match her Nike sneakers. In a photo you can see her stretching out one leg in front of her as though she's running on a cloud.
Latifa Al Maktoum
Hello, my name is Latif Al Maktoum. I was born and December 5, 1985. My father is the Prime Minister of UAE. He has three daughters called Latifah. I'm the middle one.
Campside Media Host
That's Latifa in a video she recorded herself. She's got long black hair and dark almond shaped eyes that widen as she talks. When we think of wealthy golf royals, we think of monthly stipends and designer handbags. Maybe they have a flat in London and a maid. Maybe a cushy job as a VP of a bank. Even if that job is really just a way of transferring money into their own bank accounts. But Latifa was a bit different. She was constantly on the move. If she wasn't jumping out of planes, she was riding horses, playing with her pet monkey or mastering martial arts. Which is how she met her friend, Tina Yauhiainen.
Tina Yauhiainen
She basically contacted me for private capoeira lessons. We started with lessons and eventually we became very good friends.
Campside Media Host
Tina's from Finland. She moved to Dubai more than 20 years ago, which in the very transient city with lots of expats and real housewives, makes her an old timer. Tina started seeing Latifa almost every day. Latifa wasn't allowed to work, so new hobbies like Caprera and then skydiving became obsessions.
Tina Yauhiainen
Our friendship grew over the years.
Campside Media Host
Turns out the image of a fearless, free daredevil princess wasn't the whole story.
Tina Yauhiainen
You could easily get a wrong impression. Her life was actually very, very restricted. She was not allowed to study. She had not left the country since year 2000.
Campside Media Host
Now, some Emirati women live very free lives. They study abroad, work in government, don't wear hijabs. But a lot of these personal freedoms are decided by families and aren't codified in law. Up until recently, it was legal for a man to have sex with a girl as long as she was 14. But for women, if you had kids out of wedlock, you could face a minimum of two years in jail. And if you get divorced, you can lose custody of your children to the father. Once daughters reach 13 and sons 11. This means that some women are basically second class citizens to their husbands and fathers. For example, Emirati women need their male guardian's approval to marry, meaning their dad, or if the dad has passed away, a brother or a cousin. And get this Only Emirati men pass down citizenship. So if an Emirati woman has a child with a non Emirati man, her kid won't automatically be a UAE citizen to return to Latifa. Well, she says that her life as a royal was even stricter than life for regular Emirati women.
Latifa Al Maktoum
I wasn't allowed to go outside like I was going to school. I would sometimes go to the family stables to horse ride and apart from that, I didn't do anything else. I've been asking a lot just to go traveling, to study, to do anything normal. They don't let me. Freedom of choice is not something that, you know, we have. So when you have it, you take it for granted. And if you don't have it, it's very, very special.
Campside Media Host
This was all disturbing to Tina, obviously, but there was something else, Latifa said that was a real turning point for her. Now she would understand what Latifah's life was really like. More after.
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Narrator
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Natalie Robamed
You're tossing out my gunky laundry detergent bottle.
Narrator
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Campside Media Host
All right.
Natalie Robamed
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Narrator
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Campside Media Host
This is infamous from Campside Media.
So Tina had already been friends with Latifa for several years before Latifa finally told her about her sister.
Tina Yauhiainen
I think it was in 2016 that she confided in me and she told me about her sister, Shamsa.
Campside Media Host
Tina was riveted by Latifa's story about her older sister, Shamsa, who has been described as cheeky, full of life, with dark hair and full lips like her younger sister. Her name meant son in Arabic, but in terms of the pecking order in Shakemo's family, Sheikh she and Latifa were not a planet that others orbited around. Latifa said the story started nearly two decades earlier, when Shamsa had big plans for her life. She wanted to go to college. In a letter she purportedly wrote to her cousin, she said that Sheikh Mo wouldn't let her. By the way, we reached out to Sheikh Mohammed's attorney with a detailed list of questions about everything you're hearing in this episode. We did not hear back. Anyway, Shamsa decided to gamble for freedom.
Tina Yauhiainen
She had escaped from the family mansion in Surrey in the uk.
Campside Media Host
While on holiday, Tina learned that Shamsa had supposedly just left the house, disappeared off to points far from Surrey. Latifa, meanwhile, says she was back in Dubai.
Latifa Al Maktoum
When she left, it was a little bit. I was happy for her, but at the same time I was worried about her. She escaped because she didn't have much freedom in Dubai, like driving a car or traveling or, you know, just making choices for your own future.
Campside Media Host
While everyone was searching for Shamsa, Latifa and she were still talking.
Latifa Al Maktoum
The whole time, she was communicating with me.
Campside Media Host
But according to a letter supposedly written by Shamsa, after she left home, they.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They found her.
Campside Media Host
A group of Sheikh Mohammed's agents allegedly appeared.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They grabbed her kicking and screaming, threw her in the car.
Campside Media Host
Shamsa claims she was transported to another Sheikh Mohammed's British Estates around 5am the next day. She was on a helicopter and then a plane. On the way back to Dubai.
Tina Yauhiainen
Shamsa was kidnapped and brought back to uae.
Campside Media Host
Latifa was there. She was just a teenager at the time, and one imagined she wanted to see her sister. But Shamsa didn't come back to her house. Latifa says she was locked away at a palace.
Latifa Al Maktoum
We snuck in a telephone so we could talk to her.
Tina Yauhiainen
She attempted to get some help for her.
Campside Media Host
And Shamsa wasn't giving up hope. Not yet. She supposedly managed to get a letter to an immigration lawyer she'd met in London, and the story eventually reached British journalists.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They released the story to the Guardian. Google Shams al Maktoum. And it's the first things that come up.
Campside Media Host
Now, growing up in Dubai, I know there's nothing more important than the family name. In Emirati culture, it's everything. They're also fiercely private. Problems within a family are handled internally and never talked about with outsiders. So the fact that this became a news story was a big, big problem for Sheikh Mo. But it's hard to get Western readers to care about things happening halfway around the world, especially when they're happening to an Arab woman. And before long, the story had been forgotten.
Latifa Al Maktoum
I lost my communication with Shamsa and.
Campside Media Host
Now Latifa claims she was kept under even tighter lock and key.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They wouldn't allow me to have Internet. I didn't have a phone.
Campside Media Host
With even less freedom than before, Latifa started to lose it. She needed to do something.
Latifa Al Maktoum
So I, I decided I'm going to escape. I'm going to go to Oman.
Campside Media Host
Oman's about two hours east of Dubai.
Latifa Al Maktoum
I'm going to just go there and I'm going to find a lawyer or something and I'm going to help Shemse. And the worst case scenario, if they catch me, they're going to put me with her. She has her sister with her, so she's not going to do anything, you know.
Campside Media Host
Latifa says she ran away for the first time.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They caught me at the border. I was very, very naive. I thought you could just go. I didn't have the Internet to research it. I didn't have anyone to talk to, to give me advice. I was totally by myself.
Campside Media Host
Latifah says she was immediately brought back home.
Latifa Al Maktoum
My father's right hand man put me in prison under my father's orders. I think the first time they tortured me, I didn't feel any pain because I was in so much shock. It was like somebody was hitting me through a pillow or something.
Campside Media Host
Now, Sheikh Mohammed's office has denied that Latifa has ever been arrested or detained. All we have to go on is Latifah's word.
Latifa Al Maktoum
They told me that your father told us to beat you until we kill you. I didn't know when one day ended and the next began. And then they would come in in the middle of the night, pull me out of bed to beat me. After the torture sessions, I couldn't even walk, so I would crawl to the bathroom to open a tap to get some water.
Campside Media Host
She says she couldn't change her clothes. She had no soap to wash herself with. She slept on a thin mattress that she claimed was covered in blood and feces.
Latifa Al Maktoum
I think in the last few months they gave me a toothbrush, just one toothbrush. Towards the end they gave me a tide so I would use a clothing washing powder on my skin to try to stay clean.
Campside Media Host
When she finally got to visit her family a year later, everything in Dubai seemed different.
Latifa Al Maktoum
Everything was just a shock to me. I remember the car felt like it was going so fast because I had not moved for one year and one month I went home having all these people talking normally to me. Normal, normal. After what I've been through, I don't know what normal is anymore. Nothing is normal.
Campside Media Host
According to Latifa, she was put back in prison for another two years.
Latifa Al Maktoum
When I got out the second time, I hated everyone.
Campside Media Host
She wasn't even 21, and she says she'd spent more than three years in prison.
Latifa Al Maktoum
I mean, it's something that really changes you, you know, makes you lose trust in people.
Campside Media Host
So Latifa retreated into horse riding and scuba diving. She became friends with Tina and eventually she told Tina the whole story.
Tina Yauhiainen
She told me how she was imprisoned for three and a half years, how she was tortured and treated during all this time. And it was obviously shocking. You know, I was crying when I was hearing about all that.
Campside Media Host
Tina says it was about a year after that when Latifa came to her with a request.
Tina Yauhiainen
She asked me to help her to leave Dubai to escape from Dubai.
Campside Media Host
Latifa wanted to escape Dubai, this time for good. What happened next makes the plot of a James Bond movie sound boring because it involves a dramatic escape, a yacht and a video that would change everything.
Tina Yauhiainen
We heard gunshots from the upper deck. They said, we are going to kill you or you're never going to see your family again.
Campside Media Host
At first I just thought it was a hoax.
Latifa Al Maktoum
If you are watching this video, either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation.
Campside Media Host
That's next time on Infamous.
Narrator
Infamous is created and executive produce produced by Gabriel Sherman and me, Vanessa Grigoriadis. This episode was co hosted by Natalie Robamed, who wrote it with Heather Schuring, producing by Heather Schwering, Natalia Winkelman, Lily Houston Smith and Grace Heuermann. Princess Latifah did not comment for this series. Shoshi Shmulovitz is our managing producer and editor. Sound design by David Devereaux, recording by Ewin Lai Tremuin and fact checking by Matt Giles. Campside Media's executive producers are Josh Dean, Adam Hoff, Matt Sher and myself. Campside Media's operations team is Doug Slaywin, Ashley Warren and Destiny Dingell. If you're enjoying Infamous, please rate and review the show. It helps us more than you know.
Campside Media Host
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Podcast Information:
The episode opens with the Campside Media Host setting the stage for the series on Dubai's missing princesses. Highlighting the real-life disappearances of royal women striving to escape their luxurious yet restrictive lives, the host contrasts these stories with high-profile public figures to emphasize the severity and reality of these situations.
Quote:
"This is the story of several very real disappearances about women desperately attempting to escape a gilded cage with dire consequences."
— Campside Media Host [00:31]
A vivid narration paints Dubai as a gleaming metropolis, showcasing its architectural marvels and opulent lifestyle. Central to this portrayal is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the city's powerful ruler, depicted as both progressive and authoritarian.
Highlights:
Sheikh Mohammed's Persona: Portrayed as a stern yet modern leader who transformed Dubai into a global hub.
Royal Family Dynamics: Mention of Sheikh Mohammed's multiple marriages and numerous children, underscoring the traditional and patriarchal structure.
Quote:
"Sheikh Mo is a monarch, but he's sort of like a cool monarch."
— Narrator [02:41]
The focus shifts to Latifa Al Maktoum, the middle daughter of Sheikh Mohammed. Unlike typical royal portrayals, Latifa is characterized by her adventurous spirit and desire for freedom.
Latifa's Self-Portrayal:
Latifa introduces herself in a personal video, showcasing her vibrant personality and interests beyond her royal status.
Quote:
"Hello, my name is Latif Al Maktoum. I was born on December 5, 1985. My father is the Prime Minister of UAE. He has three daughters called Latifah. I'm the middle one."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [12:05]
Despite her adventurous image, Latifa reveals the severe restrictions imposed on her as a princess. Her upbringing was far from the freedoms typically associated with wealth and privilege.
Key Points:
Limited Education and Mobility: Latifa was not allowed to pursue higher education or travel freely.
Cultural and Legal Restrictions: Emirati women face significant legal barriers, including requiring male guardian approval for major life decisions and limited citizenship rights for their children.
Quote:
"Freedom of choice is not something that, you know, we have. So when you have it, you take it for granted. And if you don't have it, it's very, very special."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [15:07]
Latifa shares the troubling account of her sister, Shamsa Al Maktoum, who attempted to seek freedom and subsequently disappeared. Shamsa's escape from the family mansion in Surrey sparked international concern.
Details:
Escape Attempt: Shamsa fled during a family holiday, seeking autonomy and the ability to pursue her own life.
Kidnapping Allegations: A letter from Shamsa claims she was forcibly taken back to Dubai by agents linked to Sheikh Mohammed, subjected to kidnapping and detention.
Quote:
"Shamsa was kidnapped and brought back to UAE."
— Tina Yauhiainen [19:03]
Inspired and desperate, Latifa attempts her own escape to Oman, aiming to find legal assistance and reunite with her sister. However, her attempt ends in her immediate capture and severe punishment.
Narrative Highlights:
Planning the Escape: Latifa decides to flee Dubai to seek help for Shamsa and secure her own freedom.
Capture and Detention: Upon attempting to cross into Oman, Latifa is apprehended and subjected to intense torture and imprisonment.
Quote:
"I was very, very naive. I thought you could just go. I didn't have the Internet to research it. I didn't have anyone to talk to, to give me advice. I was totally by myself."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [21:05]
Latifa describes her life after being caught, detailing the harsh conditions and psychological trauma she endured during her incarceration.
Conditions Described:
Torture and Abuse: Physical beatings and psychological manipulation aimed at breaking her spirit.
Isolation and Deprivation: Limited access to basic necessities, such as hygiene products and comfortable living conditions.
Quote:
"They told me that your father told us to beat you until we kill you. I didn't know when one day ended and the next began."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [21:39]
Released after over three years, Latifa returns to a life that feels alien to her, grappling with trust issues and the lingering effects of her imprisonment. Her friendship with Tina Yauhiainen becomes a crucial outlet for sharing her ordeal.
Emotional Struggles:
Loss of Trust: Years of betrayal and abuse have left Latifa wary of those around her.
Desire for Permanent Freedom: Despite her return, Latifa remains determined to escape the confines of her royal life permanently.
Quote:
"I mean, it's something that really changes you, you know, makes you lose trust in people."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [23:01]
The episode builds toward Latifa's most daring escape, involving a yacht and a dramatic confrontation that threatens her life. The tension escalates as her plea for help becomes a chilling message.
Dramatic Incident:
Yacht Escape: Latifa attempts to flee Dubai by sea, leading to a tense standoff with her captors.
Final Plea: A video recorded during the escape underscores the severity of her situation.
Quote:
"If you are watching this video, either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [24:08]
The episode concludes with the host hinting at the continuation of Latifa's story in the next installment, promising deeper insights and revelations into her ongoing struggle for freedom.
"This is the story of several very real disappearances about women desperately attempting to escape a gilded cage with dire consequences."
— Campside Media Host [00:31]
"Sheikh Mo is a monarch, but he's sort of like a cool monarch."
— Narrator [02:41]
"Hello, my name is Latif Al Maktoum. I was born on December 5, 1985. My father is the Prime Minister of UAE. He has three daughters called Latifah. I'm the middle one."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [12:05]
"Freedom of choice is not something that, you know, we have. So when you have it, you take it for granted. And if you don't have it, it's very, very special."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [15:07]
"Shamsa was kidnapped and brought back to UAE."
— Tina Yauhiainen [19:03]
"I was very, very naive. I thought you could just go. I didn't have the Internet to research it. I didn't have anyone to talk to, to give me advice. I was totally by myself."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [21:05]
"They told me that your father told us to beat you until we kill you. I didn't know when one day ended and the next began."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [21:39]
"I mean, it's something that really changes you, you know, makes you lose trust in people."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [23:01]
"If you are watching this video, either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation."
— Latifa Al Maktoum [24:08]
This episode of Infamous intricately weaves personal narratives with broader socio-cultural contexts to shed light on the plight of Dubai's royal princesses. Through Latifa Al Maktoum's harrowing experiences and Tina Yauhiainen's supportive friendship, listeners gain a profound understanding of the intersection between immense wealth, rigid traditions, and the universal yearning for freedom.
Stay tuned for the next episode, where the story of Latifa's dramatic escape attempt and its repercussions will be further explored, continuing to unravel the complexities surrounding the missing princesses of Dubai.