Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed’s Net Worth
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed holds the majority of the Dubai Holding Company. What's his net worth?
Dec. 22 2021, Published 10:42 a.m. ET
The 72-year-old ruler of the Emirate of Dubai and the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been going through a divorce. Sheikh Mohammed’s staggering net worth has come into play in the settlement with ex-wife Princess Haya bint-al Hussein, who left him in 2019. What's the businessman's net worth?.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
Ruler of Dubai, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates
Net worth: $14 billion
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai and the prime minister and vice president of the UAE. His father was the previous ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed owns 99.67 percent of Dubai Holding, a global investment holding company that has 130 billion AED in assets.
Birthdate: July 15, 1949
Spouse: divorced from Princess Haya, multiple previous wives
Sheikh Mohammed’s political career
Sheikh Mohammed owns nearly all (99.67 percent) of Dubai Holding, which manages 130 billion Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) in assets, the equivalent of about $35 billion.
Sheikh Mohammed meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel in 2008.
The leader, whose father was also the ruler of Dubai, was present as a young man when the United Arab Emirates was first formed. When the UAE was founded in Dec. 1971, Sheikh Mohammed became its first minister of defense.
Sheikh Mohammed’s older brother was the ruler of Dubai in 1995 and made his brother the crown prince of Dubai. When that brother died in 2006, Sheikh Mohammed assumed his role.
He also developed luxurious hotels and properties in Dubai, including the Palm Island, the Burj al-Arab Hotel, and the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, according to Biography.com.
Sheikh Mohammed’s wives
The Dubai leader has been married six times, according to Forbes. In 1979, Sheikh Mohammed married in what was then the Guinness world record for the most expensive wedding, costing $137 million. A special stadium with a capacity of 20,000 was built specifically for the occasion.
In 2004, the Dubai ruler married Princess Haya bint-al Hussein. Together, they share a son and a daughter. He fathered many other children over the years.
Princess Haya during her divorce proceedings with her lawyer Fiona Shackleton.
Princess Haya left her husband in 2019, taking her children to the U.K. and expressing fear for her safety. Judges have ruled that the Sheikh installed spyware on her phone and used “intimidation” tactics. Mention of him having kidnapped two of his own daughters from a previous marriage was used in the case as evidence of the risk to the princess from her ex-husband.
Sheikh Mohammed’s large divorce settlement
In one of the largest divorce settlements in a U.K. court, Sheikh Mohammed has been ordered to pay approximately $733 million to his ex-wife. He and his lawyers contended that his ex-wife was making excessive demands and using her children in her case.
Forbes stated that this includes a $333 million upfront payment for the maintenance of mansions in the U.K. as well as amounts she said he owed her for jewelry and racehorses. Salaries for staff to manage the homes and care for the two children are included in the settlement as well.
The divorce settlement costs aren't entirely fixed, as the judge ruled that Mohammed must pay security costs for his two children with Haya for their lifetimes or until another court order is issued.