'Secret wife’ of late Saudi Arabia King awarded £15m and two Chelsea flats

Janan Harb claims King Fahd of Saudi Arabia promised to look after her financially ‘for the rest of my life’

Janan Harb (PA)

A high court judge in London has ruled a woman who claims to be the secret wife of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia should be awarded a £15 million settlement.

Judge Peter Smith ruled the claim made by Janan Harb, 68, that she married the King in secret in 1968 when he was still a prince, was credible. She was also awarded two apartments in Chelsea, one of London’s most expensive boroughs.

Ms Harb claimed Prince Abdul Aziz, the son of another of the King's wives, had promised her a financial settlement of £15m when he became seriously ill because his father had vowed to support her for the rest of her life.

The Prince denied making this promise in a written statement to the court. He had been ordered to appear in person to give evidence but said he had been advised not to by the Saudi Royal family because of the “media circus” it could create.

Ms Harb, who was raised as a Christian in Palestine, told the hearing that members of King Fahd’s family were opposed to her relationship and Fahd was worried about how it would be viewed by the Saudi public.

“It was for this reason that in March 1968 we underwent a discreet ceremony of marriage,” she said in a statement.

Ms Harb, who said she converted to Islam before marrying him, claims she fell pregnant three times and terminated each pregnancy at King Fahd’s request.

She claims his family banished her from Saudi Arabia, blaming his addiction to methadone on her. Ms Harb assumed this was confirmation of their divorce and married a further two times, divorcing both men. King Fahd also remarried.

Additional reporting by the Press Association