He is the third of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum's four sons (members of Dubai's ruling family Al Maktoum and descendants of the House of Al-Falasi, of which he is the tribal leader).
[2] From the age of four, Sheikh Mohammed was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began his formal education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, and two years later, he went to Dubai Secondary School. In 1966, with his cousin, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum, he attended the Bell Educational Trust's English Language School in the United Kingdom.Marriage and family His senior wife is Shaikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum whom he married in 1979.
His best-known junior wife is HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and half-sister of current King Abdullah II of Jordan, whom he married on 10 April 2004, and with whom he has two children, a daughter, Al-Jalila, born 2 December 2007 and a son, Zayed, 7 born January 2012. [3][4] Sheikh Mohammed announced the arrival of his son Zayed on Twitter.Sheikh Mohammed has 23 officially acknowledged children, nine sons and fourteen daughters, of whom four daughters married into Middle East royalties: •HH Shaikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, married to HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi •HH Shaikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, married to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah •HH Shaikha Shaikha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum married to HH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain •HH Shaikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum married to HH Sheikh Saeed bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum Sporting and cultural interestsAl Maktoum, his sons, and his daughters are known to be avid enthusiasts of traditional Arabic poems and arts, and take part in projects to aid developing countries such as Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen. He writes poetry in Nabati (colloquial Arabic). [6] They are also sport enthusiasts, especially in horse and camel racing. For example, in the 15th Asian Games in 2006, his son Rashid took the individual gold in Endurance, his sons Rashid, Ahmed, Majid, and Hamdan took the team gold in Endurance,[7] his niece Latifa took a bronze in Show Jumping,[8] and his daughter Maitha led the UAE team in taekwondo.
[9] In 2013 when the UAE National football team won the Gulf Cup, Sheikh Mohammed gave the team 50 million dirhams ($13. 7 million).His wife awarded the team a further 25 million dirhams ($6. 8 million), while the pair's grandsons contributed 12 million dirhams ($3. 3 million) Sheikh Mohammed is a major figure in international thoroughbred horse racing and breeding.
In late 1981, he purchased Gainsborough Stud at Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom. He owns Ballysheehan Stud in County Tipperary, Ireland. He also owns Gainsborough Farms Inc in Versailles, Kentucky, United States. His racing operations includes the ownership of Darley Stables and he is the leading partner in his family's Godolphin Stables. Sheikh Mohammed hosts the Dubai World Cup.
In the UK, his horses have won numerous important Group One races including several of the British Classic Races. His horses have also won the Irish Derby Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and in the United States the 2006 Preakness Stakes with Bernardini. [citation needed] In 2008, he bought the Woodlands Stud empire for more than $460 million Controversies In 2000, the Sheikh funded €4 million for the construction of the Essalaam mosque in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which led to a major controversy. [17] Since 2000, international equestrian athletes affiliated with UNICEF have worked to end the "scourge of modern slavery in mounted sports,"[18] by putting public and diplomatic pressure on Sheikh Mohammed and the UAE government.In 2005, a UNICEF-sponsored programme with the UAE government resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of children formerly enslaved as camel jockeys, and provided them with social services and compensation upon return to their home countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and Bangladesh. The UAE government set aside US$2.
7 million in initial funding in 2005 with an additional US$9 million for the second phase, and to enforce compliance, adopted a law officially banning the practice with penalties of jail time and a $US27,200 fine. [19] UNICEF endorsed the UAE’s efforts and expressed the hopes that “the UAE’s programme will serve as a model to other countries in the region, as a means of ending all forms of exploitation of children”. [20] In September 2006, Sheikh Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction and enslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys in camel races.A class-action suit was filed against him in the US state of Florida.
[21][22][23] However, in 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, not on its substance but on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the U. S. In July 2007, judge Cecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit. [citation needed] On 9 March 2007, the London-based Metro newspaper wrongly published a picture of Sheikh Mohammed, attributing it to the terror suspect Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The Metro has since apologised for the error.
