Advertisement

Shunned by royal family,‘secret wife’ of late Saudi king wins payout worth US$31m

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Janan Harb with the late King Fahd. The Christian-born beauty was 19 when she claims she wed the then-prince.

A woman who claims to be the secret wife of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has won a payout worth more than GBP20 million (HK$239 million) to honour a promise that she would be looked after for the rest of her life.

Advertisement

Palestinian-born Janan Harb, 68, claimed she had lived a cosseted life in the embrace of one of the world’s richest and most secretive families for more than 20 years and had married Fahd in 1968.

The Saudi royal family has fought her claims through the high court for more than a decade, insisting that no official marriage took place and that she was owed nothing.

On Monday, however, a London High Court judge ruled in Harb’s favour, saying she was entitled to more than GBP15million plus the value of two expensive west London properties.

Mr Justice Peter Smith also ordered Fahd’s son, Prince Abdul Aziz, to pay legal costs estimated at more than GBP1million.

Advertisement

The prince, who did not attend the court hearings to counter Harb’s claims, must pay damages of GBP12million with interest of GBP3.25million for leaving her without her money for years.

Advertisement