Where is Dubai's runaway princess Sheikha Latifa?

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammad al-Maktoum is the daughter of the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE. She is also a skydiving enthusiast, as evidenced by several Instagram pics of her striking acrobatic poses while hurtling down the Dubai skyline. “It’s a very challenging discipline,” says her friend and photographer Juan Mayer, pointing out that such poses need to be struck at speeds of descent in the range of 200 kilometres an hour.

The sporty princess is also a keen horserider, and has competed professionally with quite a lot of success. She has competed at the World Equestrian Games, and won medals at the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010. In an interview with Sport360 in 2012, she said her proudest achievement to date had been qualifying for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

According to reports, she is now back in Dubai. A source close to the Dubai government reportedly told Reuters that “Latifa is safe and sound with her family”. But she has not been seen or heard ever since. Human Rights Watch has demanded that the UAE "immediately reveal the whereabouts of Sheikha Latifa, confirm her status, and allow her contact with the outside world".

Meanwhile, Tina Jauhiainen (pictured, right), a friend of Sheikha Latifa's who was on board the Nostromo with her, alleged that she was taken back to the UAE and forced to sign various Arabic-language documents before being allowed to leave for Finland. The French-American owner of the yacht was also allowed to leave.
(image: escapefromdubai.org)