Stories on The Filth of Royalty & Power

4 Royal Scandals Juicier Than Prince Harry’s Strip Billiards

Kathy Benjamin

A few days ago, photos of Prince Harry cavorting naked with a blonde hit the web. While the prince has had his share of controversy in the past, including attending a party in a Nazi uniform and getting caught smoking weed, he has a long way to go to catch up to some of his scandalous relatives.

1. George IV

While most Americans think that George III was a tyrant, it was actually his son who took being a horrible monarch to a new level. The licentious George IV was possibly the worst monarch in British history, and even before he took the throne he managed to involve himself in dozens of scandals. Because he was rather unattractive, he found the best way to get women to sleep with him was to offer them what in today’s money would be hundreds of thousands—in some cases, millions—of pounds. However, after he had gotten what he wanted (and often a child or two as well), he would refuse to pay. His father usually ended up footing the bill to make the women go away. It was no wonder George tried to get out of his financial agreements, considering he was a prolific gambler and once had debt collectors surround his residence demanding payment.

But the biggest scandal of his life involved his main mistress, a twice-widowed Catholic woman named Maria Fitzherbert. When she refused to sleep with him, he started sending her suicide notes that ran as long as 42 pages. Eventually, she relented—but only if he married her.

Unlike the Prince of Wales today, George simply could not marry a commoner. On top of that, it was actually illegal for him to marry a Catholic. He ignored all that, though, and married Mrs. Fitzherbert in a secret wedding in the dead of night. It was so secret that seemingly everyone in England knew about it within a few months. Ten years later, when his father insisted he get married for real to a foreign princess he hated, George’s illegal marriage threatened to derail the whole thing. In the end he abandoned his mistress and numerous children to do his duty, but his image was tarnished forever.

2. Edward VII

Edward VII was almost certainly the most over-sexed monarch in British history. Throughout his life it is estimated he slept with thousands of women. Some led to scandals, including a former friend threatening to blackmail the prince after he slept with his friend’s wife. But without a doubt it was his very first sexual encounter that sent the strongest shockwaves through the royal family.

Edward (who was called Bertie by his family) had the misfortune of being a libertine in a family of prudes. His parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, had both been virgins when they married and it never occurred to them that their children would ever consider not following that path themselves. But at the age of 19, his parents sent him off to a military camp for the summer, and there he encountered the camp prostitute. Despite being watched like a hawk by his chaperones, he managed to have sex with her three different times, all of which he recorded in his diary.

Eventually, one of his chaperones found out what was going on and informed Edward’s parents. Their reaction was melodramatic, to say the least. They could never look at him again without being reminded about how he had failed. He could never get married now because his wife would be too good and pure for him. Bertie went back to school at Cambridge, but his father, not content to berate him in letters, came to visit and took his son on a long walk in the rain in order to yell at him some more. When Prince Albert fell ill a short time later, the doctors told Queen Victoria it was due to the shock of her son’s betrayal. Albert died of his illness and Victoria blamed her son and heir for the death of her beloved husband for the rest of her life. All because he got it on with a hooker.

3. Queen Victoria

While she may have been prudish in her younger years, in old age Queen Victoria may have thrown caution to the wind. Once she was widowed, she withdrew almost completely from public life and isolated herself on her country estates. There she became close to a Scottish servant named John Brown (pictured with the Queen). She allowed him to take liberties that no one else would dream of, like calling her “woman” instead of “Your Majesty.” She gave him presents and created special honors and medals to present to him alone. Her children took to calling Brown “Mama’s lover,” and soon rumors were getting back to London about their relationship. Some claimed they slept in adjoining rooms and that a minister had admitted on his death bed that he had presided over a secret marriage between the two. A popular magazine started referring to the queen as Mrs. Brown.

When Brown died, Victoria was distraught. She had a statue of him built and the instructions she left when she died included that she be buried with a lock of his hair, his photograph, and a ring he had given her. After Victoria’s death, her youngest daughter went through her diaries and burned many of the pages that she thought were too dirty to ever see the light of day. Many are presumed to have been about Brown.

Incidentally, like Prince Harry, Queen Victoria was also the subject of a salacious image in her youth, although this one was on purpose. As a gift for her husband early in their marriage she had a racy portrait painted of herself, one which Prince Albert found so sexy that he hid it away in his private office so no one else would ever accidentally see it. The portrait was only recently deemed acceptable for release so be prepared:

4. The Duke of Kent

No member of the royal family has ever been considered more scandalous to the family that the current queen’s Uncle George, the Duke of Kent. His life is considered so unsavory that to this day his papers are sealed at Windsor Castle, and no researchers are allowed to look at them. This may have something to do with the fact that George was bisexual.

As the fourth son of George V and fifth in line to the throne, George, like Prince Harry, knew his chances of becoming king were slim and he was freer than his brothers to live the life he wanted to. And it turned out the life he wanted to live involved lots of sex and drugs.

Before his marriage, he is supposed to have enjoyed the company of thin blonde men, but afterward his tastes expanded to include a black (female) singer. He was arrested for engaging in homosexual activity at least once, but released when his identity was confirmed. The papers may not have reported on his indiscretions, but all of the high society knew about them.

George was also heavily addicted to morphine and cocaine and was put under house arrest by one of his brothers during the 1920s in an attempt to cure him. It didn’t work.

The Duke was not discreet when it came to writing to his lovers and was reportedly blackmailed by a male prostitute over his love letters. Other dirty missives by George to Noel Coward were probably stolen from the playwright’s house.

George died in a plane crash at the age of 39. A mystery even surrounds his death. While the official version is that the pilot took the wrong flight path and crashed into a mountain, rumors started circulating that the Prince, a pilot himself, had been flying while drunk. Others spread salacious rumors that his lifestyle had become too much of a liability for his family, and he had been killed on purpose.

Just to be safe, Prince Harry might want to rethink his next game of strip billiards.

10 Sordid Stories Of The Saudi Royal Family

DAVID TORMSEN JUNE 23, 2015

It’s a sad fact of life: Absolute monarchies generate more crazy stories than democratic republics. While the common people of the Saudi state are subject to strict rules and tender mercies of the religious police, the royal family are subject to no such restrictions and live lives of luxury and adventure. Instead, the biggest threats to the Saudi princes and princesses are often themselves.10 Princess Basmah’s Fake Sheikh

Her Royal Highness Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the granddaughter of the first Saudi king and the daughter of the second, has long been a thorn in the side of the country’s rulers due to her liberal reformist outlook and human rights campaigning. She has publicly stated her wish that the kingdom would adopt a constitution ensuring gender equality and civil rights, reform of divorce laws, the education system, and social services to reduce discrimination against women, and getting rid of the mahram, a male chaperone who must accompany Saudi women in public. Despite this, she still became a target for those who seek to bring down the ruling Saud dynasty. In 2013, she was allegedly tricked into a Facebook conversation with a hacker who had broken into the account of a personal friend, whom she refuses to identify but described a 30-year-old sheikh in the United Arab Emirates. Her Skype conversations with the fake sheikh were recorded, while he used flattery to try to lure the princess into sexually explicit conversations. She also claimed that her computer was hacked, with videos and photos stolen. After several months, the blackmailer revealed himself, demanding that £320,000 be sent to an Egyptian bank account. The princess decided to go public instead, so the blackmailer released a 40-second video to YouTube showing the princess smoking and blowing a kiss with her head uncovered. While innocuous to Western eyes, this constituted a major scandal for Saudi society. She believes the blackmail plot is linked to the individuals behind the Mujtahidd Twitter account, a network of dissidents who publish intimate details of members of the royal family in order to destabilize the regime.

9 Prince Nayef’s Cocaine Plane

In 2004, Prince Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Shalaan was indicted in the United States and France for his involvement in a drug-dealing operation between South America and Europe. The scheme dates back to a love affair between the prince and a Colombian woman named Doris Mangeri at the University of Miami in the 1970s. They kept in touch and occasionally met over the years, with the prince even acting as a virtual surrogate father for her children. In 1998, the prince is alleged to have met with members of a Colombian drug syndicate introduced through Mangeri. The syndicate was headed by Juan Gabriel Usuga and Carlos Ramon, former brothers-in-law who had both lost an eye in accidents and were making millions in the drug trade. They shared a ranch outside Medellin, Colombia, which they called the Cyclops Cattle Ranch.The prince allegedly proposed smuggling cocaine on his private Boeing 727 jet, then laundering money through a bank he owned, Kanz Bank, “the only Islamic private bank in Geneva.” The prince has a history with drugs and was once indicted in Mississippi on narcotics charges in 1984. The Colombians agreed to his plan, and 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb) of cocaine was smuggled into a stash house in Caracas via potato truck, then transferred into 100 empty Samsonite suitcases, and finally placed aboard the prince’s plane. Moved to a Paris stash house, some of the cocaine was then shipped off to Italy and Spain. Unluckily for the conspirators, the Paris stash house and a Spanish shipment were intercepted by authorities. As they squabbled over blame, the Colombians found themselves arrested in the United States.Despite the Saudi kingdom’s draconian policies against drug trafficking, the prince claimed his meetings with the Colombians were merely a search for investors for a plastics venture and was found not guilty by their courts. As there are no extradition treaties between the kingdom and either France or the United States, there wasn’t much that investigators could do. The Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz, even threatened to cancel several French business deals if the narcotics investigation continued. Prince Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Shalaan remains in hiding. In court, Usuga claimed that he asked the prince why he wanted to smuggle drugs, and the prince replied: “The world is already doomed. [I’ve been] authorized by God to sell drugs.”

8 The Execution Of Princess Misha’al

This is one Romeo and Juliet story that ended just as badly as the original. Princess Misha’al bint Fahd al Saud was in an arranged marriage (by all accounts, an unhappy one) with an older cousin. She left for Beirut to pursue further studies. There, she met Khaled, the son of a Saudi diplomat, and began an affair. They maintained the affair back in the kingdom and finally attempted to flee the country together in 1977, but they were caught before they got very far. The princess refused to simply denounce her lover and confessed to the adultery, enraging her conservative grandfather, Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, brother of the king.She and her lover were taken to a parking lot in Jeddah, and 19-year-old Princess Misha’al was executed by a gunshot to the head while her lover watched. He would be dispatched by beheading, which was reportedly botched so badly that it took four strokes to complete. The Saudi authorities attempted to keep the whole affair quiet, but it caused international outcry in 1980 when it became the subject of a docu-drama entitled Death Of A Princess, broadcast on the BBC and PBS. The Saudis responded by trying to suppress the film, and they failed. They retaliated by expelling the British ambassador to Riyadh, withdrawing 400 Saudi royals from Britain, and causing the UK £200 million in lost revenue from canceled orders and product boycotts. The film was rebroadcast in 2005 and is available to view in full online.7 Royal LockupPrison Hands

According to televised testimony by Princess Anoud al Fayez, one of the late King Abdullah’s numerous ex-wives, divorced by him several times, who now lives in the UK, King Abdullah kept the four daughters he had with her, Princesses Jawaher, Sahar, Hala, and Maha, under virtual house arrest in the Jeddah royal compound. They are said to have been under the control of three of their half-brothers for the past 14 years, a supposed punishment for racy lifestyles and criticism of the royal family. Others among the king’s daughters have had successful careers and even championed human rights, so why these four were singled out is something of a mystery. The women, now in their thirties and forties, are locked up under terrible conditions. In an interview with RT last year, Princesses Hala and Maha claimed that they were running out of food and water. In an interview with an Arabic TV network, the princesses said that they are being held as punishment for their stance on women’s rights and opposition to male guardianship over women. The Saudi authorities have never charged them with a crime and refer to it as a “private matter.”In an email with a Middle East current affairs site, Princess Sahar explained the dire nature of their plight: We, along with our mother, have always been vocal all our lives about poverty, women’s rights and other causes that are dear to our hearts. We often discussed them with our father. It did not sit well with him and his sons Mitab and AbdelAziz and their entourage. We have been the targets ever since. We have been treated abysmally all our lives, but it got worse during the past 15 years. When Hala began to work as an intern at a hospital in Riyadh, she discovered political prisoners thrown in psychiatric wards, drugged and shamed to discredit them. She complained to her superiors and got reprimanded. She began to receive threatening messages if she didn’t back off. The situation deteriorated, and we discovered that she was also being drugged. She was kidnapped from the house, left in the desert, then thrown in Olaysha’s Women’s Jail, Riyadh. She soon became yet another victim of the system, as were the so-called patients (political prisoners) she was trying to help. Maha, Jawaher and I have all been drugged at some point . . . We have been told to lose all hope of ever having a normal life.6 Halloween At Faisal’sEpic Party

Halloween is banned in the Saudi kingdom, as are most foreign holidays, for their “un-Islamic” nature. Every October, shopping malls are patrolled by religious police on the lookout for outlets selling costumes. But this prohibition doesn’t extend to the royal family. According to US diplomatic cables released through Wikileaks, there is a wild party scene in Jeddah under the protection of Saudi princes. In 2009, Prince Faisal al Thunayan held an underground Halloween party at his residence, inviting over 150 young Saudi men and women. Prince Faisal is a Cadet prince, meaning that he is not in line for the throne but still enjoys all the protection and perks of being a member of the royal family. The religious police were kept at bay by khawi, young Nigerian bodyguards of a similar age who grow up with their princes and serve for life and are considered utterly loyal. Despite Saudi prohibitions on alcohol, Filipino bartenders served a cocktail punch made from sadiqi, a local moonshine. Top-shelf liquor bottles filled with sadiqi were on display. The event, co-sponsored by US energy drink company Kizz-me, featured dancing, costumes, and a DJ. The American consulate officials attending the event heard by word of mouth that many of the female guests were actually prostitutes hired for the event and also that cocaine and hashish use is common at these kind of parties. While only a few years ago, the only nightlife for rich Saudis in Jeddah was informal “dating” in private residences, today, many royal residences have basement bars, discos, entertainment centers, and clubs catering to a growing appetite among the young elite for Western-style nightlife options.

5 The Death Of Bandar Abdulaziz First

In 2010, Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud was arrested for beating his manservant and gay lover, Bandar Abdulaziz, to death in an expensive London hotel room. The death is said to have come after weeks of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the prince. Finally, on Valentine’s Day, in a rage fueled by champagne and “sex on the beach” cocktails, Mr. Abdulaziz was beaten 37 times and bitten on both cheeks. He died as a result of his injuries. After the attack, the prince ordered glasses of milk and water, dragged the corpse into the bed, and tried to clean up the blood in a failed attempt to cover up his crime. The prince spent most of his trial trying to prove he was not gay, as homosexuality is punishable by execution in Saudi Arabia. However, one expert on Saudi Arabia noted that most executions for homosexuality in the kingdom were linked to rape charges, and as a member of the royal family, the prince was unlikely to suffer capital punishment. Others believe that the concealment was motivated more from a desire to obscure the sexual element in the crime. The prince and Abdulaziz seemed to have been in a committed but abusive relationship. They went shopping, dined, and stayed together in the best hotels, but the prince subjected his manservant and lover to frequent violent attacks. One such assault, caught on a parking lot CCTV camera, showed Mr. Abdulaziz submitting to a beating and then meekly following his master as he walked off. The prince attempted to claim that the death was related to a supposed incident where Mr. Abdulaziz was beaten up and robbed of 3,000 euros several weeks earlier, but forensic evidence proved that the wounds were more recent. The prince was convicted and jailed for life but was sent back to Saudi Arabia in 2013 as part of a prisoner exchange deal to allow five Britons languishing in Saudi jails to serve their sentences at home.4 Prince Turki And Princess HindMiami

In 1973, Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz married beautiful 20-year-old Hind al-Fassi (daughter of a Sufi mystic barred for religious reasons from entering the Saudi kingdom) over the objections of his family. He divorced his first wife in the process. For nine years, they traveled the world with Hind’s mother, sister, and brothers, Mohammed, Allal, Mustafa, and Tarek, as well as a large entourage. They lived a lavish and outlandish lifestyle and caused scandal and headlines wherever they went with their unrestrained spending and wild parties. They eventually settled down in a North Miami condominium, the Cricket Club, overlooking Biscayne Bay. They went there at the urging of Alvin Malnik, a multimillionaire Jewish lawyer with mob connections whom they had met while staying in London. He had charmed Hind’s brothers with his dashing and adventurous image and quickly managed to take control of the prince’s finances. Various chaos involving the al-Fassi brothers ensued. Mohammed, jealous of Malnik’s power, went to Turkey and adopted a young boy and then dumped his Italian girlfriend to marry a Saudi girl, all apparently in a failed attempt to impress his brother-in-law. Seventeen-year-old Tarek kidnapped a young Saudi woman in a London discotheque, proposed to her, and made a cash offer to her husband to divorce her. Malnik’s son, Mark, fell in love with Hind’s sister. The move to the United States was intended for Malnik to finally sort everything out.Miami had an effect on the al-Fassis, who discovered that it was the perfect city to host their lavish and rambunctious lifestyles, despite trouble with the neighbors and disastrous real-estate schemes. Trouble started to emerge in 1982, when newspaper articles alleged that servants on the prince’s compound were being forced to work 24/7 at punishingly low pay while being prevented from leaving or contacting the outside. A warrant was issued, and a dozen police officers arrived with an interpreter in tow. A shouting and shoving match ensued between the officers and Princess Hind and the bodyguards. During the fracas, the princess’s mother, in the bathroom, asked a police officer to pass her a towel through the door. When he did so, she bit him on the arm.Lawsuits and counter-suits raged between the police and the prince, who eventually got off due to diplomatic immunity, hastily organized by the State Department and the Saudi ambassador. The family was ordered to return to the kingdom, but it wasn’t long before the prince and his entourage relocated again to Egypt, where they took over the top three floors of the Ramses Hilton. The Cairo press in the 1990s was filled with lurid stories of servant beatings and thuggish bodyguards. Two Egyptian waiters fell from the hotel while trying to escape down the side of the building with tied bedsheets. Hind became notorious for refusing to pay a local jeweler thousands of dollars that she owed and for entertaining male guests, including well-known Arab singers, while Prince Turki was passed out from prescription medications, prescribed to him by his domineering wife.

According to Wikileaks, in 2006, US Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller wrote a cable detailing a disastrous dinner held by Prince Khalid bin Faisal al-Saud for the visiting Prince Charles. The two princes have a history, sharing a love for landscape painting and even holding an art exhibition together in London and Riyadh. Prince Khalid was said to be nervous about hosting a party for Prince Charles, as his palace was run-down and in dire need of renovation. The entire meeting had been organized by someone described as a “prominent Western businessman,” who was then told by Prince Khalid that it was his responsibility to renovate the ground floor of the palace. When the businessman asked if he could decline, he was given an emphatic “no.”The businessman did his best with the three weeks of time that he had. First, he cut power to the place, so no one could turn on the lights and see what was up. Holes in the walls were filled with Styrofoam, and projectors were set up to project colors and designs onto the walls. The whole dinner was to be lit only by candles, to further obscure the hasty renovation job. The ruse worked; Prince Charles commented on how luxurious and beautiful the palace was, and the businessman was rewarded with paintings from both of the princes and a “tip” of over $13,000. The businessman was also quoted in the cable for describing Prince Khalid as being “extremely cheap.” This record of stinginess took on new significance when Prince Khalid became governor of Mecca, and there were speculations he could be tapped for the throne.2 Rape At The Plaza HotelPassed Out Woman

In 2010, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd was enjoying his opulent and carefree lifestyle at New York’s Plaza hotel. He was staying in a 370-square-meter (4,000 ft2) fourth-floor suite, while members of his entourage occupied 50 rooms in the Plaza and nearby hotels. The prince and his entourage had been staying at the Plaza, partially owned by a royal cousin, for four months when one of his men, Mustapha Ouanes, raped a young barmaid who had fallen asleep in his room. Mr. Ouanes, a mechanical engineer in the employ of construction and telecommunications company Saudi Ogere, was tasked with modifying the climate-control system in the prince’s suite to match his tastes. On January 26, 2010, Mr. Ouanes met a 26-year-old barmaid and her friend at a bar in the West Village; they shared drinks there and at another bar. The victim left to smoke hashish with another friend, and after she returned, the three went to Ouanes’s two-room suite to share breakfast. Incapacitated by alcohol and hashish, the two women passed out, only to awaken to discover Mr. Ouanes raping the victim. In the trial, the defense claimed that the women tried to make Ouanes pay them for sex, concocting a rape story for a lawsuit and cash payout only after he refused. Plaza employee Nizar Adeeb testified that when police arrived, he went up to the suite, where one of the women, very upset, shouted at him, “Do you work for the prince, too?” As police took Mr. Ouanes away, Adeeb gave him a $100 bill to take with him and covered the handcuffs with a coat: “The concern was the Plaza’s reputation, more than the client.” Ouanes was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The judge dismissed an attempt by the defense lawyer to have the jury’s verdict overturned in the light of 61-year-old Mr. Ouanes’s coronary artery disease and supposed worsening health. 1 The Assassination Of King FaisalKing Faisal

In 1975, popular Saudi Arabian King Faisal was assassinated by his nephew, Prince Faisal Ibu Musaed. King Faisal had been known for his modernization drive, close ties with the United States, and support for pan-Islamism and conservative forces throughout the Arab world. On March 25, 1975, the king was sitting in his majlis, meaning “a place for sitting,” an event where the king opened up his residence to hear petitions from citizens. Outside, the prince chatted with Kuwaiti representatives, who were also waiting for an audience with the king. King Faisal emerged, and the prince rushed to embrace him, the king bending forward to kiss his nephew’s head as is Saudi custom. The prince then shot three times, hitting the king in the chin and the ear. A bodyguard then hit him with a sheathed sword as Oil Minister Zaki Yamani shouted at him not to kill the prince. The king was rushed to a hospital, where doctors massaged his heart and gave him a blood transfusion but could not successfully save him. It is said that the king’s dying wish was for the prince to be spared. The prince’s brother, Khalid, took the throne by agreement of the Saudi royal family, and the capital shut down completely for three days of mourning. Prince Faisal was declared insane, but a panel of Saudi medical experts determined that he was sane at the time of the assassination. He was found guilty of regicide by the high religious court and executed by beheading in a public square at the Al Hukm Palace (Palace of Justice) in Riyadh in front of thousands of onlookers. There were conspiracy theories related to the assassination, but it was determined that Faisal acted alone. One motive may have been a revenge killing for the death of Prince Khalid bin Musa’id. King Faisal had recently introduced television to the kingdom, which had provoked a violent reaction in some quarters. Prince Khalid bin Musa’id had been killed by a policeman while leading an attack on a television station.David Tormsen has his own ways of dealing with the end of this year’s season of Game of Thrones. Send invitations to Jeddah Halloween parties to tormentedsentences@oath.com.

Dubai ruler’s eldest son dies of heart attack aged 33So what REALLY happened to Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid? How billionaire prince was hit by claims of cocaine, sex parties – and a ‘roid rage’ killing before he died at 33

Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid, 33, died of a suspected heart attack on Friday

The prince was laid to rest on Saturday at the Umm Hurair Cemetery

Rashid was in line to rule Dubai but crown prince title was stripped in 2008

His younger brother, Sheikh Hamdan, 32, was made the heir in his place

Leaked diplomatic cables accused Rashid of murdering an aide at the Palace

Rumors of drug abuse have long circulated in Emirati high society

The prince is thought to have been unmarried, as are his brothers

By RUTH STYLES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 15:23 GMT, 21 September 2015 | UPDATED: 06:55 GMT, 22 September 2015

He was the eldest son of Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – a handsome royal playboy with a glittering future ahead of him.

But on Saturday, 33-year-old Sheikh Rashid was laid to rest after apparently dying of a heart attack at home on Friday.

Now, Daily Mail Online can reveal that the untimely death of Sheikh Rashid has left many questions unanswered – in particular what caused an apparently healthy man to die at such a young age.

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Untimely death: Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid died aged 33 of a heart attack at home on Friday morning

Although the official cause of death has been given as a heart attack, allegations of drug and steroid abuse and of several stints in rehab have long percolated through Emirati society circles.

Rashid, who at one point held a number of high-profile roles, quietly withdrew from public life in the years leading up to his death and became an enigmatic figure in the emirate he was once destined to rule.

Born in November 1981, Rashid was the son of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed and his principal wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Mohammed is a modernized, albeit one with two wives and 24 children, and has transformed what was once a dusty patch of sand into a glittering modern metropolis.

He has also parlayed what was a small trickle of oil into tourist dollars, making Dubai, with its mega-malls and year-round sunshine into one of the top tourist destinations in the Middle East.

Through his Godolphin racing stable, Sheikh Mohammed is a prominent figure in the horse world and regularly attends prestigious race meetings such as Royal Ascot in Britain.

Sheikha Hind, by contrast, is almost never seen. The 53-year-old first cousin of her husband, she is known as ‘the First Lady of Dubai’ and is mother to 12 of his children.

Little seen: Rashid, pictured in 2006 with Sheikh Mohammed, has hardly been seen since 2008 when he was stripped of the title of Crown Prince. His younger brother, Sheikh Hamdan, 32, was given the job instead

Sporting hero: Rashid brought glory to his family in 2006 when he won two gold medals at the Asian Games

Aged 17 when she married Sheikh Mohammed, Hind’s wedding, estimated to have cost $100 million, was Dubai’s first big public event.

But unlike Princess Haya of Jordan, Sheikh Mohammed’s junior wife, Hind chose to become a traditional Arab matron and lives sequestered in accordance with the Islamic purdah system.

Men such as Sheikh Rashid, however, are not subject to purdah which made his low profile all the more mystifying to locals.

Provided with a princely education, Rashid’s academic career began at the prestigious Rashid School for Boys in Nad Al Sheba.

Later, he moved to the UK to attend Sandhurst – a top training college for British military officers – before graduating in 2002.

On his return to Dubai, he assumed an increasingly high profile and took on a number of prominent public roles, as well as partnerships in a series of lucrative businesses.

He also opened a number of his own companies, among them United Holdings Group Dubai – a multidisciplinary investment group.

Fitness fanatic: Like his brother Hamdan, Rashid was famously fond of competitive sports

Gym goer: These photos, thought to have been taken in 2003, show Rashid working out in the gym

Like his father and brothers, he was also a passionate horseman and set up his own racing stable under the name of Zabeel Racing International.

With a personal fortune of an estimated $1.9 billion, he had no shortage of funds to invest and soon racked up an impressive number of winners – 428 in total.

He also developed an interest in endurance racing, the equestrian equivalent of the marathon, and in 2006, became a national hero when he picked up two gold medals at the Asian Games.

But less than a year later, Sheikh Rashid had all but disappeared from public life – and, in 2008, was stripped of the title of crown prince.

A third brother, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, 31, was given the title of deputy ruler of Dubai at the same time.

Quite why this should have happened remains unclear, with the official explanation being that the current incumbent Hamdan, 32, was simply better suited to the job.

That, however, was not the explanation bandied about in the upper echelons of Emirati society at the time or, indeed, as it later became clear, among the diplomatic community.

One particularly lurid version of events appeared in a confidential memo written the then Acting Consul General David Williams for the CIA the same year.

The diplomatic cable was one of the thousands released by Wikileaks and offers a fascinating insight into what really went on behind the scenes at the Zabeel Palace.

Noting that the move wasn’t a complete surprise because of Hamdan’s increasingly high profile, Williams went on to say that Rashid ‘does not play a public rule in Dubai affairs’.

Proud: Rashid, back row center, received a heroes’ welcome on his return to Dubai from Qatar

Brothers: Rashid, right, pictured with his brothers Sheikh Majid (left) and Sheikh Maktoum in 2007

Brothers: Sheikh Makhtoum, left, and Sheikh Hamdan, right, carry their brother’s coffin into Zabeel Mosque

Mourning: Sheikh Mohammed, fourth from left, and Sheikh Hamdan, sixth from left, pictured at Rashid’s funeral

Future ruler: Sheikh Hamdan, the second son of Sheikh Mohammed and his principal wife Sheikha Hind, was named heir to Dubai in 2008

Then came a bombshell. ‘It is alleged that Rashid killed an assistant in the Ruler’s office,’ continues Williams, ‘thereby forfeiting his opportunity to be heir.’

Although the identity of the aide supposedly murdered by Rashid has never been revealed, commentators at the time suggested that the attack could have taken place during an episode of ‘roid rage’ – a reference to the steroids the prince was believed to have taken.

Further colorful allegations emerged in another cable, this time written in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, which spoke of an underground royal party scene in which sex parties and drugs were common currency.

Written by Consul General Martin Quinn, the dispatch claimed that the underground scene was ‘thriving and throbbing’ but was only available to the very wealthy.

He also noted that ‘cocaine and hashish use is common in these social circles’, which, he added, were largely composed of aristocratic and princely members.

Among the fabulously wealthy guests to attend the parties, it has been alleged, were the Emirati princes – including Rashid.

Although the notoriously secretive Zabeel Palace has never commented on Rashid’s alleged use of drugs, another illuminating episode came three years later in 2011 – shortly after the prince gave up his presidency of the UAE Olympic Committee due to his ‘heavy workload’.

A British aide who had been working for the Al Maktoums at the sprawling Longross Palace in Surrey, England, brought an unfair dismissal case against the family in London and claimed he was sacked after refusing to spy on a dignitary staying there.

Glittering: Sheikh Mohammed’s tenure has seen Dubai transformed into a glittering tourist destination

High profile: Sheikh Mohammed, pictured with Princess Haya at Goodwood Racecourse in Chichester, England, shares a love of racing with his sons, including Sheikh Rashid who owned a racing stables of his own

Choice: Emirs such as Sheikh Mohammed can choose their heir, although traditionally, the eldest son is chosen for the job. Sheikh Mohammed opted for his second son, Hamdan (pictured), instead

Staying silent: Sheikh Mohammed, pictured with the Queen in Abu Dhabi in 2010, has never commented on the allegations of drug use surrounding Rashid

Mr Ali, who claimed he ‘regularly came into contact with the family’, alleged that Rashid, far from having a heavy workload, was instead in the throes of drug addiction.

What’s more, Mr Ali continued, the problem had become so acute that prince had been made to attend a rehab clinic by his furious family in 2009.

Other bizarre claims emerged, including accusations that staff working for the Al Maktoum family operated in a ‘climate of fear’.

Another aide, Olatunji Faleye, giving evidence on behalf of Mr Ali, claimed racial abuse from ‘my bosses’ was commonplace and said he had repeatedly been called ‘a black slave’.

He also claimed that colleagues had dismissed his Christian beliefs as ‘inferior, rubbish and no good’ and had told him to convert to Islam.

Most damaging for the family, if not Rashid himself, was the accusation that Mr Ali had been ‘bullied, harassed and belittled’ before being forced out of his £60,000-a-year ($93,000) job.

Although the tribunal ended in victory for the Al Maktoum family and Sheikh Mohammed himself was never accused of any wrongdoing, the family has never publicly denied the allegations put forward about Rashid.

Since then, little has been heard from or about the 33-year-old, although his brother Hamdan has made frequent public appearances alongside his father.

Until the announcement of his death on Friday, Rashid had been all but hidden away behind the scenes at the Zabeel Palace.

Now he is making headlines once more, with his memorial service and burial at the Umm Hurair Cemetery in Dubai covered faithfully by the local press.

A three day official mourning period has been declared, while Hamdan, who with Maktoum, 31, carried Rashid’s body during his funeral on Saturday, has spoken movingly of ‘losing my best friend.

For all that, it seems likely that Sheikh Rashid will become little more than a footnote in the United Arab Emirates’ royal history.

But whatever the truth of his alleged penchant for drugs, there is no denying that the death of a young man in his prime is anything but a tragedy.

According to rumors circulating in the country, Hamdan’s father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, threatened last November to disinherit his son if he pursued the relationship, but to no avail.

The young man chose love over his title and situation, bringing his father to reconsider his position.

The Sheikh finally seems to have accepted the situation and even gave his blessing to the new couple.

That’s called a progressive step which is why Dubai has become a cosmopolitan city. Modernization and freedom of individual rights to make this world a better place to live.

Excellent step in the right direction. Will certainly bring in more visitors. Pakistan needs to follow suit.

Hope the so called ulema in Pakistan will strongly condemn this act of UAE government .Why is Pakistan dry’ due ulema ?

Desperate times require desperate measures in a Las Vegas of the Middle East.

Dubai is the best!!!!

Pakistan is Pakistan and UAE is UAE, these are two different countries and have their own different setups. let’s not compare Pakistan to UAE as these are totally two different countries.

Everyone knows, Arab Muslims ,with Indian maids can go to any extent for earning and values of Islam like us are long forgotten.

The UAE does what is best for their country ,in modern times.

@Gypsy when did UAE ever claim it was an Islamic Republic ?

@Proud_Indian ….”progressive step” .Yes; most of business is in Indian hands ! so cheers !

Ramazan or no-Ramazan, rivers of liquor always flow in Dubai.

This is “purely” for the Saudi’s convenience when they travel out in droves on Thursday’s to Dubia for drinking and whoring. They call it “progress”

Good move by Dubai officials. Right or wrong, it’s a tourist attraction catering to millions of people. It’s about giving people ‘choices’.

If you don’t like it, don’t drink.

Why do Muslims get so bent of shape b/c it doesn’t fit their ideals.

kind of Soft Alcohol and Soft Music

Wait till iftar !!! what a joke!! At least some common sense has gone in to Arab Head !

WoW! The Holy Arabs of UAE… custodians and torchbearers of the religion, sowing the seeds of war, separation and religious extremism in other countries (read Pakistan and Yemen) and promoters of

individual freedom and quality of life in their own country. What an irony!

This only speaks of how desperate the Dubai government is for revenue stream.

Sacrificing values and religious traditions for money is decadent in itself.

And allowing Alcohol consumption during the day, in the holiest month, further erodes any level of respectability Dubai had left – after allowing all other types of vices (supposedly ‘illegal’) to flourish

under the very noses of the local police ,who are officially accomplice in the act.

No harm in it, in my opinion live and let live.

Putting restrictions during holy month does not make people who fast to stop fasting and who does not fast will make them fast.

It’s a personal choice and if you have a strong faith, these things should not bother you.

At the end of the day, this is our test to control ourselves in every way possible during the month of Ramzan and all year around as well.

Cheers!

Go Pats!

@Gypsy On record on paper… The larges sale of liquor is during the time of Eid in Pakistan

@timetostopthis It will bring more tourists and tax revenue but it’s a drug.

Just like any other drug, it’s increased consumption will cause addiction and deterioration of health.

Its addiction can lead to fatal diseases such as cancer and the cardiovascular disease.

There is no point in promoting its consumption, therefore I think Pakistan is doing the right thing.

Being a Muslim, I welcome this move.

Let people who wants to drink allowed to drink and let people who wants to fast allow them to fast.

Dubai is breaking the Islamic rigid stone age blindness now..

Middle East is progressing and becoming more and more liberal which is a good news for world peace.

Next someone will sleep with the mothers ?

Money walks, money talks, money rocks and sometimes stalks.

It’s their wish.

The amount of respect UAE has earned is because they have taken measures to bring investment, create business opportunities’ and keeping their people happy.

Those who don’t drink will not drink, those who want to drink will drink at any cost.

Why lose business revenue that helps in nation building.

Smart move – HALLAL & HARRAM are talk of past ,Islam & Ignorant Muslim’s

I wonder what’s next for Dubai to attract tourists, shoppers and whoever has a wad to blow??

Perhaps Casinos, ala Las Vegas and Macao?

It would not be stretch for Dubai, since it already allows most of the other activities which are purview of the

playboys, stopthismoney launderers, and criminals who come to wash their wealth by spending the ill-gotten wealth on Dubai properties,

luxury cars and other flashy items!

“Wetter” and better!

never they do not have guts

I am free willed individual, i wish that everywhere in the world i go, there should be no restriction on me unless i am not intruding others business.

I like alcohol very much.

I Love it. Thanks UAE!!!

@Mahmood I dont see what the fuss is about.

Its only for visitors and has no impact on the emirati population.

Stop hyperventilating over everything.

stop thisSacrificing values for ‘visitor’s cash’ and allowing Muslim population to witness violation of their moral code, is everything to worry about .

Where does it stop?

@Ammar I think you are wrong as you make all alcohol drinkers to be alcoholics. That is definitely not the case.

The vast majority of people drink small quantities of alcohol purely for recreation and it causes no damage to their health. Besides, if you consider alcohol to be a drug, what about cigarette smoking?

How about stopping the sale of cigarettes too in Pakistan. Its equally addictive and is a known cause of lung cancer. And while we are looking at stopping things, how about stopping the sale of sugar and cooking oil as they can lead to diabetes and other major health related diseases.

My friends are appreciating this act of UAE as if liquor is very good for health and strengthens one’s body and mind.

It is an established fact that it is harmful for the health and that’s why prohibited in Islam.

Good decision.

To all those cheering and applauding this decision of the desperate Dubai government, do you even know that earnings from any means forbidden in Islam – not just consumption,

but sale of alcohol, are not Halal?

Or do you even care?

That would explain your thinking.

They have totally lost their way the dream will fail totally un-Islamic the locals ,

will not be happy with this Ramadan is a very holy month for Muslims and this is totally a desperate move showing the financial state the country must be in

Modernity is not consuming alcohol or wearing revealing western attire as some comments here suggest.

Nothing but hypocrisy at a grand scale.

Drinking liquor is a personal matter. There are hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims in Dubai. Why should anyone take away their right to enjoy an alcoholic drink, as long as they remain within the bounds of the local laws. If someone were to evaluate alcohol consumption in Pakistan, I assure you that it would be no less than at least half of Dubai. It is almost as easily available in Pakistan, as it is in Dubai. And its probably far cheaper here, as long as the buyer doesn’t get cheated with fake stuff. In Muslim countries like Pakistan, with marginal tourism and very small non-Muslim populations, if Muslims stick to their religious laws, there would be no demand for it and the business will flop or will be marginal at best. IMO, it is far more important to absolutely ban cigarettes and pan / gutka / chaaliya. They are absolutely, without any doubt, far more hazardous to human health.

bro is saying right

Dubai has taken a retrogressive step. It should ban alcohol all together.

Alcohol is mother of evils and it has destroyed not only morals but als0 is the cause of most crimes like rape , murder , drunken driving, stealing and looting

shah abdul hannan social activist, Dhaka

@Mahmood Don’t drink!! Simple.

money talks 🙂

great news for anti Islam forces and all vested interests.

@M. Malik money talks…. The people in charge of Dubai don’t care about what’s forbidden in Islam….. Don’t like

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