Robes of shimmering silk are caught by mournful moonlight, dancing, caught in sand and seawater breezes. The moon buries the heat of the day as it cloaks those who move under it. Running not from a crime, but from a royal dynasty with vast tendrils grasping into social orders around the globe.

A princess — breaking free of her chains of cashmere, emerald and gold.

To know a prince

To most Westerners, the royals of the Middle East are a mystery. They are eccentric oil billionaires with inordinate geopolitical power, immense geopolitical titans granted locally limitless powers by the whims of fate and endowed with oil wealth and prime trade locations.

But this is a grotesque misreading.

Almost all of the region’s kingdoms occupy the Persian Gulf, the only two exceptions being Jordan and Morocco, which are both constitutional monarchies as opposed to the absolute power wielded by Gulf states.

This tradition of absolute monarchy is long-running in the Gulf. While the modern dynasties of the UAE can only trace their royal claims reliably back to the 17th and 18th centuries — even more recently for Saudi Arabia — the region was divided tribally into groups who operated very much like regional monarchies. But they were simply much less organized.

Rather than feeling installed, therefore, the modern system of monarchy feels like a movement of progress forward. This results in unique cultural artifacts.

Power unchecked and its chains.

Across many Gulf monarchies, conservative interpretations of gender roles remain embedded in both social expectations and legal systems.

In ways that are rather unique compared to the rest of the world, men and women have different rights built into the law, with systems built to ease male movement in society.

Men and women are understood to have a different relationship.

Men who can afford to take care of many women well, absolutely can if they honor them through marriage. Especially if the men are royal.

The rights of women are also heavily restricted in the region for the same reason. In the United Arab Emirates, women were not allowed to work without the explicit permission of their husbands until 2019. In Saudi Arabia, women were not allowed to drive until 2018 and leave the country without male approval until 2019.

Honor killings are also historically prevalent in the region, with many murders only being prosecuted with the agreement of the aggrieved family. Most honor killings are thus kept purely domestic.

In more important and conservative families, these rules — and many other stringent social norms — have been ruthlessly enforced for longer than anyone can remember.

It has been one of many ingredients that brought the region to where it is today — but not one without victims.

Shamsa’s ill-fated escape

Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum did not live the dream that most girls have of being a princess. She had the palaces, but not the privilege.

Shamsa could not go where she wanted; she could not maintain normal friendships — like a songbird with private jets, but always landing in another cage.

There was no way to escape the reach of her father, the Sheikh of Dubai and ruler of the Emirates.

One night, under the cover of darkness, she risked an escape from their estate in England.

It was her father’s preferred place to reside when he discussed horse racing with Queen Elizabeth.

She evaded the reach of her family for two months before she was abducted from Cambridge by helicopter, taken to France and then returned to the Emirates by private jet.

Although other testimony suggests that she is likely still alive, she has not been seen publicly since.

Latifa’s cruise to nowhere

Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum witnessed her sister’s daring escape when she was a little girl. She watched a bird clipping its wings and returning to the cage.

She learned a lesson. Stay in line.

Shamsa was often noted for having a rebellious streak. Latifa made sure to avoid this error at all costs.

But she was always wary of the men around her.

She played the part of a demure princess well enough, so that one day her father allowed her a martial arts instructor.

Little did the sheikh know that Tiina Jauhiainen would be one of the most consequential relationships of Latifa’s life.

When the two sparred, Latifa’s mask slowly evaporated.

One day, she told Tiina, “My father and his men are very bad… there’s no justice here. They don’t care, especially if you’re female.”

While teaching Latifa to kick, choke and punch, Tiina also taught Latifa the true power of feminine resolve.

A lesson that culminated in a daring escape by sea, but ended in a boat being raided.

The princess surrendered.

Latifa has been seen publicly following her daring escape attempt.

However, human rights groups around the world have flagged her as being in danger.

Sheika Mahra goes from royal to rap

Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, another daughter of the sheikh and princess, took a brave step forward for women’s rights in the region on July 16, 2024.

She announced her divorce from her husband on Instagram for adultery, only a little over a month after she gave birth, and only a little over a year after their wedding. This was a brave and unusual step in the region, with typically only men reserving the right to initiate divorce.

Additionally, she invoked a triple divorce in her post. “I divorce you,” thrice.

This is not mere dramatics. In Islam, if a couple divorces 3 times, they cannot consider rekindling the relationship until the woman has married another man and divorced him first.

Even a few men are brave or sure enough to make such declarations.

Unlike her sisters, Mahra has been able to bring about some significant changes in her life.

Mahra recently began an engagement with rapper French Montana.

Reportedly, with the blessing of her powerful father, she was even allowed custody of her child. Most unusual in the Emirates, wherein family courts usually favor the father in custody cases.

She still resides in Dubai, although. And unlike her sisters, she has her own palace.

It was less dramatic running away, less subversive and ultimately the most successful.

It likely represents a glimpse into women’s most tangible cultural off-ramp in the region.

Getting rights through grace, cunning and employing the same tricks men of the region have used for centuries, these women showed it is a stacked battle.

And if they want the same rights rewarded as Mahra, they must be prepared to be far smarter in executing those tricks than men ever have been. And they must still be prepared to make compromises.

But Mahra has at least demonstrated it can be done.

No princess has yet to shirk their royal duties entirely. However, the bars may finally be starting to bend on Dubai’s silk cage.