Al McTum, 72, has given “explicit or implied authority” to hack the phone of Princess, 47, and his lawyer using Pegasus spyware manufactured by Israeli NSO Group. .. This software is exclusively licensed to the state to use state security services.

This hack was partially revealed by a study by William Marzac, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, who is studying the use of spyware by the government. In addition, the court heard that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie Blair, told Princess Haya’s lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, that she may have been hacked.

Cherie Blair, then NSO’s adviser, contacted Shackleton and told him that the software could have been “misused.”

Al Maktoum’s lawyer has chosen not to provide evidence in court to counter the allegations. His lawyer argued that Princess Haya did not prove her claim and could not confirm or deny whether the UAE had a contract with NSO Group.

His lawyer suggested that other countries such as Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan could be the cause of the hack.

Almak Toum is also the founder of the successful Godolphin Horse Racing Stables and has received a trophy from Queen Elizabeth II after one of his horses won the race at Royal Ascot.

After graduating from Oxford University, Haya is an avid equestrian and participated in the show jumping competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was the second president of the International Federation for Equestrian Arts and a member of the International Olympic Committee.