There is such an amazing woman in Dubai. She is a princess, but she never appears in public. Every year on her birthday, the king throws a feast, but the protagonist is always absent.
The mysterious woman hadn't stepped outside the palace for 45 years. Who is she? Why is this happening? Let's unravel this mystery together.
The golden branches and jade leaves in the cradle of the aristocracy
The story begins in 1962. That year, a little girl named Hurd fell to the ground. She is not an ordinary child, but a member of the Maktoum family, the royal family of Dubai. Since she started babbling, she has lived in a splendid palace and enjoyed luxury unimaginable to ordinary people.
But fairytale life also has its peculiarities. In order to maintain the purity of the bloodline, the Dubai royal family has a unique tradition of intermarriage. This may seem a bit hard for us to accept, but it's perfectly normal in their world.
A welcoming procession of twenty golden camels
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Hurd has grown up. When she was 17 years old, an event changed her life. Guess what? That's right, it's getting married. Who is the bridegroom? It turned out to be her cousin, Sheikh Sheikh, the ruler of Dubai.
The Sheikh has made a bloody contribution to this marriage. The dowry he prepared was twenty large boxes of precious gold, silver and jewelry. But the most special thing is that instead of transporting these dowries in luxury cars, he hired twenty camels!
Twenty tall camels lined up in a row, each carrying a glittering treasure on their backs, forming a long golden dragon in the sunlight and slowly moving in the direction of Hurd's house. I'm afraid that this scene can't even be filmed in a Hollywood blockbuster, right?
Their wedding was even more extravagant. It is said that the wedding alone cost 200 million yuan! You know, that's 200 million in 1979! That's an astronomical amount when you think of the price today.
A lone butterfly in a golden cage
Hurd's life changed drastically after he got married. According to the ancient tradition of Dubai, the princess cannot appear in the public eye at will after marriage. Even if you go out occasionally, you have to wrap your whole body, and you can't even show a trace of hair.
Sheikh built a palace worthy of a fairytale castle in the royal palace for Hurd. This palace is probably unmatched by any of the best hotels in the world. Glittering décor and countless servants, all kinds of state-of-the-art equipment are readily available. Ordinary people would never have dreamed of such a place.
But to live in this palace comes at a huge cost – to never be able to leave. Hurd hadn't set foot outside the palace since his wedding night. Forty-five years later, she still lives in this golden cage. Can you imagine? I've been confined to one place for half my life, and no matter how gorgeous this place is, it's inevitable that people will feel suffocated, right?
The forgotten "prolific princess"
You might think that Hurd's captivity in the palace must have been painful, right? But the truth may be surprising.
In the 22 years since they got married, Heard and Sheikh have had a full 12 children! That's right, you read that right, it's 12!
What does this staggering number tell us? First of all, Hurd's physical fitness must be very good. This also reflects that her relationship with Sheikh should be good. Although Sheikh had a total of 6 wives and more than 30 children, Hurd's status was always the highest. Her son, Hamdan, would inherit the throne of the chieftain in the future.
Interestingly, Hurd seems to be dismissive of the other princesses. Even the much-loved Princess Haya is not worth mentioning in Hurd's eyes. She seems confident in her position and content with the status quo.
Two worlds: the collision of tradition and modernity
When it comes to Princess Haya, she's an interesting character. Unlike Hurd, who lived in seclusion, Haya was a "modern woman" through and through. She was originally a princess of Jordan and received a Western education since she was a child, and she is very open-minded. In Dubai, she can appear in public without a veil, and often accompanies Sheikh to various events.
Many people only know about Haya, but they don't know anything about Hurd's existence. It's no wonder that one shows up all day long, and the other hasn't seen anyone for 45 years, so naturally the former is more famous.
But Hurd didn't seem to care. She may be a traditional Dubai woman at heart, and thinks that the princess should stay quietly in the palace and raise her husband and children.
However, Haya yearns for freedom and finally chooses to break the shackles.
In 2019, she fled to the UK with her two children and divorced Sheikh. Why is this happening?
It turned out that the Sheikh wanted to marry their 10-year-old daughter to a 35-year-old Saudi prince! This decision completely infuriated Haya.
The Desert Rose's Dilemma: A Long Road to Human Rights
Haya's exodus has shown us the plight of women in Dubai. In this seemingly wealthy and prosperous country, the status of women is actually surprisingly low. Whether it is a commoner or a princess, women are not allowed to go out alone and must be accompanied by a man.
This kind of regulation treats women as appendages of men, and completely ignores the independent personality of women. It's unbelievable that such a place exists today, in the 21st century.
In fact, as early as 2000, there were Dubai princesses who tried to escape this life. Although she did not succeed in the end, her courage inspired other women who longed for freedom.
Returning to Hurd's story, we can't help but ask: is she really happy with the status quo? Perhaps in her opinion, being able to live in a luxurious palace and have a son who can inherit the throne in the future is the best life in life. But in our opinion, what is the point of living without freedom, no matter how rich and noble?