IN modern world Royal misalliances happen quite often, so we decided to remember the most influential, but still free royal offspring of the Middle East. After all, no one knows who you might accidentally bump into even in a crowd.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum

In 2011, Kate Middleton's grand wedding took place, the broadcast of which was watched by 162 million viewers, mesmerized by the reality of the scenario of the fairy tale about Cinderella. And the Duchess of Cambridge, in turn, seemed to repeat the scenario of Mary Donaldson, now the Crown Princess of Denmark, whose typical, inconspicuous life changed dramatically after a chance acquaintance in Sydney with Prince Frederick. 3 years after that chance meeting, she was destined to become his bride, and then his wife.

However, not only these two ladies proved that dreams of royal wedding in the truest sense of the word, they have every right to exist. Even the most titled persons sometimes choose one of the common people as their life partner. And the Middle Eastern princes and princesses, as we remember, were no exception. Take, for example, the story of the beautiful Rania, Queen of Jordan. But today we are not talking about her. After we counted all the European eligible blue-blooded bachelors, the editorial team came up with the idea to talk about princesses and princes from the Middle East, who also have not yet found their halves.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai (34)

The beloved heir to the throne of the Emirate of Dubai has many talents. He was initially educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England, and subsequently attended classes at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The 34-year-old enviable prince rides horses, scuba dives and is already an almost professional parachute jumper. In addition, he even publishes poems of his own composition, imbued with patriotic and romantic sentiments.

In general, his skills and achievements can be listed endlessly, and he immediately talks about them on his Instagram. There you can also find photo evidence of how much the Crown Prince loves sports and an active lifestyle in general, which cannot but please.

Hussein ibn Abdullah, Crown Prince of Jordan (22)

Hussein ibn Abdullah

The Prince with his mother, Queen Rania

He is the eldest child of the couple King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, by the way, one of the most beautiful royalty of our time. The prince is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, where he majored in international history».

The prince with his father, King Abdullah II, and US President Barack Obama

Interestingly, last year Prince Hussein had the honor of chairing a meeting of the UN Security Council, thus becoming the youngest participant in the process in its entire history. Thus, Prince Hussein is following in his father’s footsteps, continuing his parent’s endeavors by actively participating in policies to empower youth.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar (28)

The 28-year-old heir to the throne is the 5th son of Sheikh Emir and his second wife Sheikha Moza, one of the most famous women East. In 2013, he received his master's degree from Harvard University. In addition to Arabic, the young man speaks fluent English and French.

In addition, Sheikh Mohammed Hamad - former captain Qatar national equestrian team. He also chaired the competition to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Sheikha Maita bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Princess of Dubai (36)

Maita - half-sister crown prince, who heads our list of free royal offspring of the East. But her fiance will have to work hard to live up to her. And the point here is not at all social status brides In addition to her important title, Sheikha is also the honorary president of the United Arab Emirates Taekwondo and Karate Federation and the president of the Women's Committee of the West Asian Karate Federation. She even led the UAE women's team in this sport, which took first place from 2003 to 2006. In addition, Sheikha Maita became the first Arab athlete to carry her country's flag at Olympic Games in Pekin. In 2008, Forbes magazine included the girl in the list of the 20 most famous representatives of royal dynasties.

Everyone knows that the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Said al Maktoum, has many children and wives.

Sheikh Mohammed

Nobody except the Sheikh probably knows the exact number. I will not risk stating any numbers. More than 20 officially recognized children - that's for sure. Two for everyone famous wives: Sheikha Hind al Maktoum is the main wife, mother of twelve children, whom no one photographed, and the youngest is Princess Haya of Jordan, mother of two, whom we all know well.

Prince Hamdan, the second son of Sheikh Mohammed and Hind, has been declared the official heir to the emirate. For some reason, the eldest son Rashid was removed from inheritance, whether he was rude to dad, or loves women too much, it is not known. However, it turned out that this is not entirely true.

There is very little information on the Internet. But the Maktoum family members themselves are extremely active in in social networks, almost all the sheikh’s children have their own accounts, which they constantly update. Many echo each other. Actually, it was only thanks to this that we managed to find out something.

It is known for certain that Muhammad’s first-born daughter, Sheikha Manal, was born in 1977. Presumably from his Lebanese wife. She is happily married, she has children, a million photos with all her relatives on the Internet. But this is not about her.

In 1979, the Sheikh married his 17-year-old cousin and, at the same time, second cousin, Sheikha Hind al Maktoum.

Lyrical digression: it is unknown when she received the title of main/senior wife, but she is definitely not the first (these are different concepts).

On Arab forums, Dubai residents themselves (mostly women, of course) explain that since a child has the title of sheikh or sheikh, this means that Sheikh Mohammed definitely married the child’s mother, even if he later quickly divorced. I suspect this is some kind of law in the Emirates, because a Muslim does not have to get married in order to officially recognize the child. Maybe it’s just the sheikh status for the child. Don't know . Just in case, I will call everyone wives.

So, before Hind there was a Lebanese wife, Manal's mother.

In March 1980, Sheikha Maitha was born to a sheikh from a Moroccan wife, you have seen her many times, this is the same famous athlete. And she participates always and everywhere, and carried the UAE flag at the Olympics in London, and won a lot of things.

At the time of Mayta's birth, Sheikha Hind was already pregnant with her first child and gave birth to her daughter Hessa in November 1980. Everything is fine with her too, married, children, everything is fine.

But the sheikh still does not have a son. And, at the moment when Hind was wearing Hessa, the sheikh starts a relationship with, as rumors say, a German girl. In any case, the girl was of the Northern European type. And in March 1981 she gave birth to a boy.

The long-awaited son of his Arab father turned out to be unusual. They named him Marwan. One of the traditional names in the Maktoum clan. Sheikh Marwan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum. Which literally means "Sheikh Marwan, son of Muhammad, son of Rashid, son of Said of the Maktoum family." The name is also the pedigree. The sheikh recognized the boy because his name is on all the lists of the sheikh's official children.

In August 1981, the Sheikh's Moroccan wife gave birth to a second daughter, Shamsa. And only in November 1981 Hind gave birth to a son, Rashid. So he is the second son of Sheikh Mohammed, and not the first, as they write everywhere.

There are no photographs of Marwan on my father’s website. The other seven sons are there, but Marwan is not. I think this is due to the fact that he is not an Arab, although he is a Muslim. And also with his appearance. It's very different from everyone else.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that many people confuse the son of a sheikh with the son of his second cousin, they are almost full namesakes, the name is only different in the fourth generation. And they rarely write until the fourth. So, the man in the photo below is not the same Marwan! This is easy to check on his page, where the man constantly posts photos of his real father and brothers.

Also Marwan, also a sheikh, but a second cousin, not the son of a ruler.

Currently, Marwan al Maktoum lives in London. He is married to Dalal al Marzougi, a girl from a very old and wealthy sultanal family that ruled for a thousand years just across the bay from Dubai, now Iran. My wife has been a development director at a large oil company for many years.

They have two sons, Mohammed and Rashid (in honor of their father and grandfather). These are the first grandchildren of Sheikh Mohammed in the male line!! The other sons have no children yet, only daughters.

Marwan served in the Dubai Army. Happens periodically in the emirate. He communicates with relatives. Sorry, there are not enough photos. I didn’t find a single adult photo with my father.

Sheikh Marwan is a head taller and larger than all his relatives. He's blond with blue eyes!

Marwan with grandfather Rashid, cousin and dad

with dad Mohammed

In the army. 1990.

with Hamdan

Khalid bin Maktoum with his cousin Sheikh Marwan.

In Mecca in 2013

11/10/14 Sheikh Marwan and his eldest son Mohammed

Sheikh Hamdan Mohammed al-Maktoum has many advantages - a horse owner, a poet, an athlete, the heir to a royal family, and even a bachelor. Sheikh Hamdan's wife is still absent from his personal life, however, last summer information leaked to the media that he was going to marry Palestinian refugee Kalila Said, whom he met at one of the charity events. It is said that this marriage was approved even by the prince's parents, although at first they were disappointed with their son's choice.

In the photo - Sheikh Hamdan

Sheikh Hamdan is one of the many children of Sheikh Mohammed, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and head of the Emirate of Dubai. He was born thirty-three years ago and grew up in incredible luxury. Sheikh Hamdan received an excellent education, first at the private school named after Sheikh Rashid, created by English model, then at the Dubai Government School on the faculty government controlled. Hamdan Mohammed al-Maktoum graduated from the Royal military academy Sandhurst in the UK, where the scions of English aristocrats study, specialized courses at the London School of Economics.

From childhood, the sheikh's father prepared his son to participate in political life native state, and now Hamdan is a regular participant in various congresses and summits. Sheikh Hamdan attends all these political events out of necessity, and privacy he prefers traveling, horse riding, and falconry. He is a very romantic person and even writes poetry under the pseudonym Fazzaa.

In general, almost nothing is known about the personal life of Sheikh Hamdan, and the image makers of the court are constantly working to create an impeccable image for him, and this can be judged by the numerous photographs in which he is captured with relatives and looks very nice. Hamdan devotes a lot of time to charity - he manages the work of several foundations, and personally helps people in need.

To questions about whether he was going to end his bachelor life, the prince always answered that he had been engaged for a long time - future wife Sheikh Hamdan should become a maternal relative, however, due to latest events When he met Kalila Said, everything could change. In general, a sheikh, according to the laws of his country, can have not one, but several wives - his father Sheikh Mohammed, for example, according to some information, has as many as five wives, and time will tell how many wives Sheikh Hamdan will have.

Dubai, one of the key emirates in the UAE, is in mourning. Sheikh Rashid ibn Mohammed al-Maktoum, the eldest son of Mohammed ibn Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and also the second most influential person in the United States, has died United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister, Vice President and Minister of Defense of the country. Sheikh Rashid died of a heart attack, less than a month and a half shy of his 34th birthday. His younger brother and Crown Prince Hamdan wrote: “Today I lost my best friend and a childhood friend, dear brother Rashida. We will miss you." Lenta.ru tried to figure out what made the eldest son of the Dubai emir famous.

According to British standard

Little is known about Rashid’s childhood and youth: at that time there was no Instagram yet, and the Arab emirs and their heirs had not yet acquired the habit of posting scenes for everyone to see rich life with geotags.

Rashid is the eldest son of the emir from his eldest and main wife Hind bint Maktoum and, accordingly, the stepson of the emir's second wife - Jordanian princess Haya bint al-Hussein. The children of Mohammed and Hind, according to the memoirs of brother Rashid Hamdan, were brought up in the spirit of traditional values.

In Dubai, the heir graduated from a school for boys named after Sheikh Rashid - education there was conducted according to the English model. After which his father sent Rashid to the UK - to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where they traditionally send their children Arab sheikhs(the current emir of Qatar, the king of Bahrain, and the sultans of Brunei and Oman graduated from it).

Disinherited

Rashid ibn Mohammed was preparing to become his father's successor: the emir introduced him to state affairs and entrusted him with control over various economic projects. But on February 1, 2008, everything suddenly changed: Rashid’s younger brother, Sheikh Mohammed’s second son, Hamdan, was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai. His younger brother Maktoum received the post of Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The emir's eldest son officially abdicated the throne, and moreover, there was no place for him among the leadership of the emirate.

This step, however, can only be called unexpected: diplomats and Arabic experts, long before the emir’s decree, noticed that Hamdan was increasingly appearing in front of cameras next to his father and that the emirate’s press was writing about him more and more often. What happened, why was Rashid out of work?

The publication of WikiLeaks documents brought some clarity to this issue. Among the released cables is a telegram from the US Consul General in Dubai, David Williams, in which he reports on the change in the order of succession and the reasons for it. Without disclosing his sources, Williams reported that Rashid killed one of the workers in the emir's palace, this angered the sheikh, and he revised the line of succession.

Solace in sports

The PR campaign in the emirate and around the world bore fruit: the new Crown Prince Hamdan quickly became a darling of the press. A diver and paratrooper, a falconer who keeps a menagerie of lions and white tigers, a snowboarder and a poet who writes under the pseudonym Fazza. An excellent rider, multiple winner of equestrian competitions, owner of expensive cars and yachts - Hamdan ibn Mohammed willingly demonstrates all this luxury on his Instagram account. Hamdan is known as a philanthropist and philanthropist, generously distributing donations to the disabled and sick children, and also as one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Admiring fans gave him the nickname “Aladdin”.

Against this background, his older brother Rashid looked rather pale (especially considering the difference in their capital - less than two billion dollars for Rashid versus 18 billion for Hamdan), and he does not have an Instagram account. Although it cannot be said that the press did not spoil him with their attention. Since 2005, he has consistently been included in the "20 Sexiest" list for five years in a row. Arab men", in 2010 Esquire magazine recognized him as "one of the 20 most enviable royals", and a year later Forbes included him in the twenty "most desirable royals."

Having lost his right to the throne, Rashid ibn Mohammed focused on sports. The entire Al Maktoum family is famous for its love of horses, and Rashid is no exception. He owned the Zabeel Racing International racing corporation and won numerous competitions both in the UAE and abroad. In total he won 428 medals. Vertex sporting achievements Rashid ibn Mohammed - two gold medals at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. From 2008 to 2010, Rashid was even the president of the UAE Olympic Committee, but left this post, as he explained, due to lack of time.

Scandal in a noble family

Arab sheikhs try not to make their internal affairs public, but sometimes, when the traditional values ​​of oil emirs collide with European realities, leaks occur. This is what happened with Rashid.

In 2011, a black employee from the staff of the British palace of Emir Olantunji Faleye appealed to the British court. He claimed that he was discriminated against on racial and religious grounds: members of the sheikh's family addressed him as "al-abd al-aswad" - "black slave", and repeatedly insulted Christianity (Faleye is an Anglican), calling him "bad, low and disgusting faith,” convincing his “black slave” to convert to Islam.

During the hearings, another service employee, Ejil Mohammed Ali, was summoned as a witness to the court, who, among other things, said under oath that Sheikh Rashid was a drug addict, most recently completed course rehabilitation.

However, it is unlikely that such scandals can shake the reputation of the Royal House of Dubai, which invests millions of dollars in its PR in the media and social networks. Judging by the number of responses on Rashid's Facebook page, many people, including from the poorest countries in the world, perceive the death of the eldest son of the Dubai emir as a personal tragedy.

Princess Amira is the wife of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. She is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Al-Waleed bin Talal Foundation, an international non-profit organization, supporting programs and projects to combat poverty, the consequences of disasters, supporting women's rights and interfaith dialogue. The princess is also on the board of trustees of Silatech, international organization on youth employment.

Princess Amira is a graduate of the University of New Haven (USA) with a degree in business administration.

She defends women's rights, incl. and the right to drive, obtain education, and obtain employment without having to seek permission from a male relative. Amira herself has international driver license and drives the car herself on all trips abroad.

Known for her impeccable dress sense, Amira is the first Saudi princess to refuse to wear the traditional abaya in public like other women in the kingdom.

2. Rania Al-Abdullah (Queen of Jordan)

Rania showed herself to be very ambitious when she was denied an appointment to leadership position at Apple's Jordanian office (she was 22 at the time), she slammed the door and headed to Amman's Citibank, owned by King Abdullah's sister and brother-in-law. It was in the bank office in the spring of 1993 that the girl and the prince exchanged glances for the first time. It didn't take them long to fall madly in love with each other, and the couple celebrated their wedding on June 10, 1993.

The girl received her education in foreign educational institutions: Studied at the New English School in Kuwait, then received a degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo in Egypt. She never wore a headscarf. And he is unlikely to wear it in the future.

By the way, she was born in 1970.

www.queenrania.jo is her website, where she independently responds to visitors every day.

Her Royal Highness Haya bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan and Sheikha of the Emirate of Dubai. Younger wife of the Emir of Dubai, loving mother 4 year old daughter, president International Federation Equestrian Sports (FEI), Patroness of the World Academy of Sports, UN Ambassador for Peace, charming woman, President of Dubai Health Services.

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein was born on May 3, 1974, to King Hussein I of Jordan. Her mother, Queen Alia, tragically died in a helicopter crash in February 1977, leaving three young children orphaned.

Haya received an excellent European education: she studied in England, where she attended Badminton School for Girls in Bristol, Bryanston School in Dorset, and then St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford, from which she graduated with an honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics.

On April 10, 2004, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. prime minister UAE, ruler of Dubai, whose fortune is estimated at $20 billion.

4. Princess Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned (Qatar)

Sheikha Moza Nasser breaks all stereotypes about eastern wives, she is the second of the three wives of the Sheikh Emir of the State of Qatar and the daughter of the famous Nasser Abdullah All-Misned.

In 1986, Sheikha entered the National University of Qatar and after some time successfully graduated with a degree in Sociology.

Sheikha holds some international and Qatari posts:

• Chairman of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development;
• President of the Supreme Council of Family Issues;
• Vice President of the Supreme Council for Education;
• UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education.

Besides!!! She has seven children: five sons and two daughters.

And again besides that!!! She topped Vanity Fair's "best dressed women" list for the second time.

5. Princess Akishino Mako (Japan)

On October 23, Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino Mako, eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, celebrated her 20th birthday. According to Japanese law, the princess becomes an adult.

Princess Mako is currently a senior 3rd grade student high school Gakushuin for girls in Tokyo.

Princess Mako has been something of an Internet idol since 2004, when she was released in Japan school uniform in the form of a sailor suit was shown on television. An image bank has been created, and a video showing fanart of Princess Mako (with musical accompaniment group IOSYS) was uploaded to the popular video archive website Nico_Nico_Douga, attracting more than 340,000 views and 86,000 comments. The Imperial Household Affairs Office, responding to a request for comment, said it was not sure how to handle the matter as it saw no evidence of slander or insults against the Imperial Family.

6. Crown Princess of Brunei - Sarah

Sarah Saleh is a commoner. Before meeting the heir, the girl studied mathematics, biology and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. The smart and charming wife of Crown Prince Al-Muhtadi Bill and mother of Prince Abdul Muntaqim. The Crown Princess is beautiful role model for Brunei youth, the most popular member of the family of the Sultan of Brunei.

By the way, at the wedding she had a bouquet made of gold and diamonds:

7. Lalla Salma (Morocco). Princess engineer :)

She attended a private school in Rabat and then graduated from the Hassan II Lyceum with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. For two years the girl attended preparatory courses at the Lyceum. Mulaya Yosef, and graduated in 2000 High school computer science and system analysis, after which she interned at Morocco’s largest private corporation, Omnium North Africa (in which the royal family has a 20 percent stake). Six months later, Lalla received the position of information systems engineer.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco became the first monarch in his country's history to break with long-standing tradition and publicly announce his desire to marry twenty-four-year-old Lalla Salma Bennani. computer engineer. For centuries, Moroccan kings, including the father of the groom, King Hassan II, hid the fact of their marriage and

often even the name of his chosen one. This information was considered a state secret, and queens never played a significant role in governing the country.

From the very beginning Lalla Salma established certain rules and, making sure that the king was ready to receive them, agreed to his advances. One of the main conditions was monogamous marriage.

Bennani, like Queen Rania of Jordan and Prince William's fiancée Kate Middleton, has quickly become a trendsetter in her country. As soon as the engagement was announced, Moroccan women began to dye their hair red.

In a survey of readers of Hola! Princess Lalla Salma took first place as "the most elegant guest at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge" thanks to her national dress - the kaftan.

8. Princess Sirivannavari (Thailand)

Sirivannavari, the granddaughter of the current ninth king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, appears more often than any other member of the royal family at social events and meetings high level, thereby performing representative functions immediately for all of their numerous relatives.

The main passion of the 24-year-old Thai princess is fashion design. Collections under the Princess Sirivannavari brand are now successfully traded not only in Bangkok, but also in Paris, Milan and New York.

The modest personal fortune of the heir to the throne of Thailand is almost $35 billion.

9. Princess Ashi Jetsun Pema (since October 13, 2011 Queen of Bhutan)

The new queen is the pilot's daughter civil aviation. Her mother is a distant relative of the Bhutanese royal family. The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, married a girl from a simple family, 21-year-old student Jetsun Pema.

She was educated in India and is now studying at a university in the UK. Obviously, the girl will be a diplomat, since she is receiving a profession as an international relations specialist.