On July 17, 2024, Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of the United Arab Emirates’ Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, told her husband, a fellow member of the royal family, that she was leaving him. While most high-profile breakups happen behind closed doors, this one took place out in the open: the Dubai princess shared the message in-feed on Instagram. Her short statement, which has nearly 400,000 likes, shocked her followers and quickly made headlines for its brazenness. “Dear Husband, As you are occupied with other companions, I hereby declare our divorce,” she wrote in a black and white text box. “I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife.”
According to CNN, Sheikha appears to have invoked the controversial practice of triple divorce; this is used in some Muslim countries, but banned in others. A man can instantly divorce his wife by saying it three times—but it isn’t traditionally used by women who wish to divorce their husbands.
Given the sudden and public nature of her 28-word declaration, many media outlets speculated that the princess’ account had been hacked—but the post remains two days later. Sheikha has also removed all images of her husband, Sheikh Mana Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, from her feed. The shocking statement comes just after the pair’s first wedding anniversary; the couple tied the knot in a high-profile royal wedding on June 10, 2023. They welcomed a daughter in May 2024.
The Dubai princess shares a lot of her life on her Instagram account (which has a significant following that has grown substantially over the last 48 hours), where she posts images of her interests (horses, charity work, and fashion), red carpet events, and the magazines she’s graced the cover of. Needless to say, her most recent post has been a major departure from her usual content and she hasn’t shared anything additional since. CNN reportedly reached out to both the Dubai government and Sheikha’s media offices for comment, but haven’t heard back—and neither the UAE government nor her husband have publicly acknowledged her post in any way.