Princess Latifa: new photo appears to show missing woman alive in Dubai

A photo posted on social media appears to show Princess Latifa alive in a Dubai mall.

The image, uploaded this week to two Instagram accounts, purports to show the daughter of Dubai’s ruler for the first time in public since she claimed she was being held “hostage” by him and the royal family.

BBC Panorama broadcast secret video footage from her in mid-February, in which the princess said she feared for her life.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, her father, has repeatedly denied the claims and insists she is safe and well.

The photograph was posted two days ago and appears to have been taken in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

‘Potentially significant developments’

In a statement, David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign group, said: "We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in the campaign.

“We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement will be issued at the appropriate time."

Princess Latifa, who is 35, attempted to escape from the royal family in March 2018 by trying to sail across the Indian Ocean.

However, she was returned to Dubai in what her family called a “rescue mission”.

Latifa had not been seen or heard from until February 2021, when a number of videos were released to media outlets in which she claimed she was being held hostage.

She said she was being kept in “solitary confinement” and claimed she was beaten, drugged and imprisoned in a royal villa with armed guards.

But the sheikh has said that she was tricked into escaping Dubai by criminals who wanted money from her, insisting she was safe and the family wanted to maintain her privacy.