'Happy and Well': Free Princess Latifa Campaign Ends After Dubai Royal Photographed in Iceland

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum sparked much uproar earlier this year after the BBC broadcast a secretly recorded footage of the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, in which she claims that she was being held in a villa against her own will. In 2018, she made a botched attempt to flee the UAE, managing to reach India's west coast via Oman.

The organisers of the free Princess Latifa campaign, who sought to liberate the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, have announced that they are finishing their work.

The decision was made by her cousin and campaigner Marcus Essabri, who said he's met her in Iceland, where the two were photographed together. According to Essbari, this "emotional reunion" confirmed that the princess was in good health and high spirits.

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“I had an emotional reunion with my cousin Latifa in Iceland. I feel blessed that I got to spend time with her. It was reassuring to see her so happy, well and focused on her plans,” Essabri said.

Free Latifa campaign group officials said the "most appropriate step" would be to dissolve the organisation, as their main goal was "to see Latifa free and leading the life she chooses". Campaign co-founder David Haye told the BBC that Princess Latifa now has "the best position she has been in, in terms of freedom … for two decades”.

Several photographs of Latifa have appeared in recent months, where she posed at the Madrid airport and in a shopping mall and restaurant in Dubai.

In 2018, Latifa, one of the 25 children of the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, attempted to escape. However, she is said to have been tracked and captured by Indian commandos, who handed her over to the UAE. She has not been seen in public ever since, with the exception of official photos published by the UAE Foreign Ministry.

Earlier this year, she landed in the spotlight of both the international community and media, after the BBC broadcast videos she had allegedly recorded over the past two years. In the videos, she said she was being held "hostage" at a villa surrounded by police.

The woman accused her father of mistreating her and other relatives. She also alleged that she'd been imprisoned for three years and beaten after her first escape attempt at the age of 16.

Later, the Dubai royal family issued a statement, saying that the princess was being cared for at home by medical professionals and family. The statement also said the videos recorded by Latifa were "not reflective of the actual position".