Sheikha Shamsa al-Maktoum, now 38 but not seen in public since she disappeared aged 19, is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Houria Ahmed Lamara, who is Algerian.
Her former riding instructor Lucy Stevenson said that Shamsa “didn’t like authority” and hated pomp and circumstance. She recalled that when they went out riding on Chobham Common in Surrey, Shamsa would take delight in galloping off, forcing the bodyguard following behind to try to catch up.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, 35, is Shamsa’s younger sister. A keen skydiver, her friend Tiina Jauhiainen estimated that the princess had done about 2,500 jumps before she attempted to flee Dubai in 2018.
“That used to give her a great sense of freedom,” said Jauhiainen. The Finnish national taught Latifa the Brazilian martial art capoeira on a daily basis from 2010. Jauhiainen described her friend to the court as “a great woman, kind, brave, intelligent, dedicated, honest but most importantly down to earth”.
