A Jordanian princess’s housekeeper is accused of stealing jewellery from her Belgravia home, including a wedding ring and a bespoke sapphire and diamond ring. Maria Taborda Henao, 71, denies the allegations.
Princess Firyal Irshaid, 81, told Southwark Crown Court that jewellery went missing after she left Britain in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. The court heard that several items were later offered for sale at an auction house in Canterbury.
Taborda Henao had worked for the princess for 11 years and was said to be the only person authorised to enter the property and access her belongings while she was away.
The defendant, who arrived in Britain in the late 1980s, told jurors through a Spanish interpreter that she had cleaned for between 30 and 35 households. Those clients included the late businessman Lord Jacobs and a Belgian countess, the court heard.
In November 2020, Pierre Jeannet, a friend of Princess Firyal and a partner at the high-end jeweller JAR, told her that two pieces had appeared in a sale at Canterbury Auction Galleries.
One of them was a “unique” sapphire and diamond ring made for the princess by Mr Jeannet. Princess Firyal subsequently reported her housekeeper to police.
Officers found the princess’s wedding ring inside a coat at Taborda Henao’s home, the court was told. A jewelled metal necklace was discovered in a kitchen cupboard, while an envelope containing earrings was also recovered.
Oliver Wellings, prosecuting, said Princess Firyal had previously believed that she had lost her wedding ring and “would never have given away such an important personal item”.
The prosecution also alleges that Taborda Henao’s nephew, Julian Ramirez, was involved in selling the jewellery. Jurors heard that he attended a valuation day at the Canterbury auction house in March 2019 and returned in 2020, when items he had brought were listed for sale.
Ramirez is alleged to have received about £90,000 in auction proceeds and to have transferred almost £18,000 to his aunt between June 2019 and November the following year.
Princess Firyal returned to London in May 2021 and found that much of her jewellery was missing, the court heard. She provided receipts and photographs showing that she owned pieces sold at the auction house.
Among them was a pair of enamel and gem-set earrings bought from Sotheby’s for £28,750 in 2011. They were later sold at Canterbury for £400 in 2020.
Ramirez was arrested on the same day as his aunt but was released on bail. Jurors were told he is believed to have travelled to Colombia in October 2023 and has not returned.
Prosecutors allege that Ramirez was a “key conduit for the sale of stolen property”. His mother had been allowed by Princess Firyal to move into the Belgravia property during the early stages of the pandemic.
Princess Firyal married Prince Muhammad bin Talal, the younger brother of Jordan’s King Hussein, in 1964. Their marriage lasted 14 years.
The trial continues.
