No, I don't believe Haya was naive when she married the Sheikh but, I do believe that she knew him and respected him. They had interests in common and his reason for making her one of his wives was because he needed a woman who had a well-known "public face" and could provide the same for him as his wife. Haya filled that bill because while westernised and an equestrian of note, she was still an impeccably well-connected Muslim Princess in her own right and understood the different lifestyles.
I am quite sure she did not know what sort of man she was really marrying and the gossip surrounding his other marriages and subsequent divorces would not have reached her and I am sure her brother King Abdullah felt his sister was safe. It is my understanding the extended family do not live communally but rather have totally separate quarters, if not homes.
It is my belief that as happens, time reveals all and by the time she purchased her London "weekender" or "Ascot retreat" she knew a lot of things she wished she didn't. But I believe the publicity about two or three of his daughters put the wind up her and then she was asked by those who did not understand her position, to intervene on Latifa's behalf. Now that would have been a recipe for disaster but frightening enough for her.
It is interesting the Sheik Mohommad is asking the UK Family Court to return his children to him citing a UN Convention to which his country is not a signatory. Those conventions predate and therefore do not cover, family violence or the rights of the child, merely international abduction which is pretty emphatically seen as not being in the best interests of the child. Sheika Latifa's book may be a very timely resource. The Sheik's reputation regarding horse doping may also factor into his international standing
Princess Haya's wealth is covered by her marriage contract and that she owns her own racehorses and was able to purchase a multi-million pound London residence tells us that married or not, she is not without means. However, I think international politics and policies will dictate which countries the UK does not really want to an enemy of, the UAE or Jordan.
However, the publishing of the book about Sheika Latifa's ill-fated escape plan, its subsequent failure and the conditions under which she, her sister and other victims are being held by the Sheik is horrifying and if he could do this to his own daughters and a few unknown others does not bode well for Princess Haya herself nor her children.
That's a good question!
