French Montana Reveals How He Met Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra
Originally appeared on E! Online
French Montana revealed why he initially found his fiancée Sheikha Mara Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum unforgettable.
The “Stay Schemin” rapper shared that the Princess of Dubai’s viral social media post, where she publicly announced that she would like a divorce from her then-husband Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum, was what ultimately drew him to her.
“I just happened to be in Dubai, I remember I had seen she put up that post where she divorced somebody,” French (real name Karim Kharbouch) said on the Jan. 13 episode of the Joe and Jada podcast. “And I’m like, ‘I like her.’ Because it takes a lot of guts to throw that up.”
And French, 41, quickly took his shot, explaining how he asked a mutual friend to reach out to Sheikha Mahra on his behalf, adding, “I’m like, ‘Do what you gotta do.'”
As for the message that caught the rapper’s eye? Well that since-deleted post publicly calling out Sheikh Mana’s alleged infidelity.
“Dear Husband,” Shaikha Mahra began the July 2024 post. “As you are occupied with other companions, I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you, I divorce you, I Divorce You.”
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The daughter of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who wed Sheikh Mana—with whom she shares a 2-year-old daughter—in June 2023, continued, “Take care. Your ex-wife.”
According to the BBC, the three-time repetition of “I divorce you” could be an interpretation of the Islamic practice known as triple talaq. Though banned in many countries, the outlet reports, the practice traditionally allows a husband to instantly divorce his wife by saying the words three times and is not normally invoked by a woman.
One year later, French popped the question to his soon-to-be bride during Paris Fashion Week in June. And the ring was fit for any royal family member.
After all, French opted for an extravagant emerald-cut diamond, which the couple showed off on Instagram in August, simply captioning the post with a white heart and sparkle emoji.
While the pair have been private about their romance, Sheikha Mahra has been open about the joys of motherhood, often sharing adorable snaps of her little one on social media.
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As she captioned a sweet photo of the mother-daughter duo on her baby’s first birthday, with an angel and white heart emoji, “Happy 1st birthday my angel 01.05.”
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