Not All Glam & Perfect: Ex-Qatari Princess Said 'Money Was a Curse' in Interview Before Her Death

Kasia Gallanio, who used to be married to a member of the royal family of Qatar, was discovered dead at her home in Marbella last Sunday after a suspected drug overdose.

The ex-wife of Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al-Thani revealed in an interview posted on social media weeks before her death that “money is actually a curse”.

Kasia Gallanio, a Los Angeles-born former spouse of the Qatari royal, appeared on a web-based discussion programme, Women’s World Show, to decry the fairytale existence she was thrust into after her marriage. According to her, it was a “golden cage”.

The ex-princess, who lost a bitter custody battle for her children on 19 May in a Paris court, revealed she hadn’t realised how much of her freedom she would have to sacrifice.

"There has been a lot of articles in the press because the custody [case] is going on right now. So I decided after a few years it's time to speak up, it's time to let people know that it's not all glam and perfect, that I do also struggle and go through things. It has been difficult, not just for me but for the children”.

Gallanio, 45, was forced to cede custody of her three daughters after splitting with her 73-year-old husband, who is the uncle of Qatar’s current emir.

The ex-princess told the show’s host that since her story had made headlines she had received numerous messages from women in similar positions, "especially coming from the Middle East".

"I think money is actually a curse because it isolates you from a lot of people. It's a different world, I grew up in a normal household so for me it was a completely different world… I grew up in the States, so coming into the Royal family as an American was completely new", said Kasia Gallanio.

Kasia Gallanio, who had dual US and Polish citizenship, was found dead on 29 May at her home in Marbella, southern Spain. One of her three daughters contacted the Spanish police from Paris to warn that she had not been able to contact her mother for days, according to the French newspaper Le Parisien.

According to police sources, the woman was discovered dead on a bed without signs of violence, with authorities believing she may have died from an overdose. The official results of the autopsy have not yet been released, the newspaper added.

Back in 2012, Gallanio’s divorce from Sheikh Al-Thani triggered a legal battle over the custody of their underage daughters. According to the French outlet, the 45-year-old woman reportedly suffered from mental health issues and was hospitalised for several months last year. In May, a court decided to defer a verdict on the case until after Gallanio had undergone a psychological evaluation.

Furthermore, the case was marred by allegations of sexual abuse, as one of the couple’s daughters said in mid-April that her father sexually assaulted her when she was between nine and 15. The allegations were vehemently denied by the sheik.