Remember the princess who divorced her ex-husband after accusing him of cheating? We do. Meet Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, daughter of the ruler of Dubai. She briefly captured the world’s attention by pulling off the rare feat of announcing her intention to divorce via Instagram.
Now, she’s back in the headlines (and in this blog) for pulling off an almost equally jaw-dropping move: announcing her engagement to musician French Montana.
And as usual, there’s more to this engagement than the clickbait headlines.
New man, new headlines
The princess and French Montana (real name Karim Kharbouch) first made their relationship public in October 2024 via — you guessed it — social media posts. The posts featured the lovebirds dining at a Four Seasons Resort and riding camels. Truly, nothing says “romance” like a luxury hotel and some desert wildlife. This little glimpse clues us in to what would follow in their relationship, a detail of utmost importance to us as divorce attorneys.
The series of date posts didn’t stop there. A few more surfaced over time, including one of them enjoying quality time at Disney World, right in front of Cinderella’s castle. In case the symbolism went over your head, allow us to spell it out:
Princess of Dubai meets Cinderella: Both became princesses, both have castles — one real, one Disney-fied.
Clearly, the princess couldn’t resist showing her followers the parallels between her real-life royal existence and Cinderella’s Disney fairytale.
Breaking tradition, one post at a time
As one of the most memorable moments in divorce blogging history, the princess’s legendary divorce is worth revisiting.
In 2024, she discovered her now-ex was cheating. Naturally, she took to Instagram to publicly announce her displeasure with the man who had the audacity to betray a princess. Her post read:
"As you are occupied with other companions, I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you, I divorce you, and I divorce you."
This is a nod to triple talaq, a practice traditionally used by Muslim men to divorce their wives by declaring “I divorce you” three times. Some might call her public display brazen, but we prefer to see it as her reclaiming her power.
Historically, this practice wasn’t intended for women. But as any plucky princess would do, she flipped the script, posting her intention to separate from her disloyal husband because, as far as we know, no law forbids Muslim women from announcing their divorces on Instagram.
Her Instagram account may be deleted, but the legend of her post lives on.
Standing out is in the genes
Some might call the princess’s antics a bit attention-seeking. But, honestly, in the world of celebrity social media behavior, nothing she’s done so far — Instagram divorce announcement included — qualifies as extraordinary. Yet, given her immense resources and a team of experts who could advise her on online conduct, why does she still seem like a tiny bit of a show-off?
It’s worth noting that Sheikha Mahra is one of the 26 children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates. Perhaps standing out has been a lifelong habit. After all, we don’t hear much from her siblings in this part of the world, do we?
According to their representatives, wedding plans are underway, though specific dates and arrangements are still being finalized by both families. Something tells us we won’t need Google alerts for updates. The princess, or her social media team, will make sure the world knows. At this point, we feel like we can predict her next move.
Related reading: Dubai ruler must pay an enormous sum to his wife in their divorce settlement — here’s why
At the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with announcing your engagement or celebrating your love on social media. But if you’re tempted to post about your divorce online, you might want to consider a few legal tips first. For family law representation in Washington State, call the law offices of LaGrandeur & Williams in Kent, or leave us a message.