The Ruler of Dubai has been ordered by an English court to pay his ex-wife Princess Haya of Jordan half a billion pounds (AUD$927,873,439.00) as part of a divorce settlement.

In a ruling on Tuesday morning, Justice Moor said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was "uniquely" the main threat to Princess Haya bint al-Hussein and the children.

Earlier this year, a senior judge ruled that Mohammed had ordered phones belonging to Haya and her lawyers to be hacked using the controversial Pegasus spyware.

Despite the record-breaking amount of money ordered by UK courts to settle the custody battle, it was still less than half of the £1.4bn (AUD$2,598,706,686.80) that Princess Haya had initially wanted.

The legal saga between the two began in April 2019, when Haya fled to the UK after fearing for her safety as her marriage deteriorated. A month later, she asked the sheikh for a divorce.

Comparatively speaking, we could’ve got a better result, especially given the contributions made by the princess during the marriage and the relative growth of the Rulers wealth after the marriage.

Talk to us today.