Missing Princess Latifa appears to have been spotted in public alive and well, according to a new photograph.
The Dubai ruler’s daughter’s plight shocked the world when claims emerged she had been held captive for years against her will.
The picture of a woman with an uncanny resemblance to the young Emirati royal was posted to Instagram by ‘Shinny Bryn,” a public account which had fewer than 300 followers on Saturday.
This picture posted to Instagram appears to show a smiling Princess Latifa Al Maktoum with two women in a mall in Dubai.
The Mirror has been unable to independently verify whether the picture is real, or up to date.
The photograph posted two days ago appears to have been flipped, based on the mirrored writing appearing on advertising in the background of the image.
It shows face masks lying on the table, suggesting it could have been taken during the coronavirus pandemic period.
However Sky News reports the picture is understood to be thought to be legitimate and is believed to have been taken in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.
The woman in the photo, thought to be Latifa, smiles slightly with a coffee cup in front of her as she sits with apparent pals at a table.
The Instagram user wrote in a caption: “Lovely evening at MoE with friends” without naming or tagging Latifa.
David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign and Detained International, told Sky: “We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in the campaign.
“We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement will be issued at the appropriate time”.
Latifa’s disappearance from public life has raised concerns over her welfare after it was claimed her father, Leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was detaining her in solitary confinement.
Pals released secretly recorded video messages earlier this year showing Latifa claiming she had been held against her will since 2018.
The 33-year-old princess had been captured as she tried to flee across the Arabian Sea.
It is alleged commandos snatched Latifa and brought her back to her father in Dubai.
Her capture follows the abduction of her sister Princess Shamsa, 39.
In 2000, Shamsa fled from her family’s Longcross estate in a Range Rover.
But her escape attempt was foiled when she was grabbed off the streets of Cambridge and flown back to Dubai by private jet.
Boris Johnson’s government’ has faced pressure to attempt an intervention in Latifa’s case.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the footage as “deeply disturbing”.
But the House of Lords was told in February the UK had made no diplomatic inquiries about Latifa’s situation.
