A CLEANER has appeared in court charged with stealing jewellery said to be worth up to £1 million from a princess.
Maria Taborda Henao, 69, is alleged to have stolen the valuable items while working for Princess Firyal of Jordan.
The cleaner, pictured, appeared in court today but the case could not go ahead[/caption]
The Colombian cleaner is accused of taking diamond rings, bracelets, watches and earrings at the 80-year-old princess’ £6 million Belgravia home.
Henao, of Fulham, West London, is alleged to have handed over the stolen jewellery to a male relative who allegedly sold the items through a Kent auction house.
The cleaner appeared at London’s Westminster magistrates’ court yesterday after first being arrested in November 2020.
She is charged with ”theft by employee” having allegedly stolen “various pieces of jewellery of a value unknown” belonging to Princess Firyal.
A source says the jewellery allegedly stolen was worth “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds” and “easily up to a million.”
The case could not go ahead today as a Spanish interpreter was not present and the defendant was bailed to appear at the same court on 14 April.
Princess Firyal is the former wife of Prince Muhammad bin Talal, second son of the late King Talal of Jordan.
She is a renowned humanitarian and philanthropist and is the daughter of Farid Mahmoud Irshaid, a political leader who served in the government and as a parliamentarian in the Senate in Jordan.
Her mother Farida was Chair of the Red Crescent Society in The West Bank.
After studying in America, Princess Firyal married Prince Muhammad bin Talal in 1964.
The prince is the second son of Talal bin Abdullah, who was king of Jordan from 1951 until his abdication a year later in 1952.
Princess Firyal has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 1992.
She holds several philanthropic positions and is a member of the International Council of the Tate Modern in London.
