Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an Emirati government official and the daughter of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who holds essential positions in the UAE government such as vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Latifa M R Al Maktoum was born on Thursday, 16 June 1983 (age 40 Years; as of 2023) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [1]Latifa’s Instagram Account After completing her school education, she joined Zayed University, a public university in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Science in Marketing and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree with Honors.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is  Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and he is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates. Her mother, Delila Aloula, is a Lebanese woman.
Her parents are divorced. She has two real sisters named Sheikha Dalal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum and Sheikha Maryam bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (I) (b. 11 August 1987).
She has thirteen half-sisters. The list is as follows:
- Sheikha Hessa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 6 November 1980)
- Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (III) (born 30 March 1989)
- Sheikha Maryam bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (II) (born 11 January 1992)
- Sheikha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 December 1992)
- Sheikha Futtaim bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 22 July 1994)
- Sheikha Salamah bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 8 August 1999)
- Sheikha Shamma bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 13 November 2001)
- Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 2 December 2007)
- Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 12 November 1977)
- Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 5 March 1980)
- Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 15 August 1981)
- Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (II) (born 5 December 1985)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 26 February 1994)
She has nine half-brothers. The list is as follows:
- Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (12 November 1981 â 19 September 2015)
- Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 14 November 1982), Crown Prince of Dubai (since 2008)
- Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 24 November 1983), First Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2008), Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (since 2021), UAE Minister of Finance (since 2021)
- Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 7 February 1987), Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2023)
- Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 March 1988)
- Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 7 January 2012)
- Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 26 June 1989)
- Sheikh Marwan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 March 1981)
- Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 16 October 1987)
Husband & Children
In 2016, she got married to Faisal bin Saud Al Qassimi.
The couple has four children, two sons and two daughters. The names of her two sons are Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi (b. 28 July 2018)
and Hamdan bin Faisal Al Qassimi (b. 24 December 2021). Shaikha bint Faisal Al Qassimi (b. 29 October 2020) and Hind bint Faisal Al Qassimi (b. 14 May 2023) are her daughters.
Religion/Religious Views
She follows Sunni Islam. [2]Latifa’s Instagram Post
Residence
Al Maktoum
Career
Government Official
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum completed her practical training at Dubai Holding Group after completing her formal education. In 2008, she started working at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in its arts and culture department. She is responsible for the cultural and creative scene, which includes overseeing the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy. The goal of this strategy is to make Dubai the top choice for global cultural, creative, and artistic talent by the year 2025.
She works on various projects, one of the main ones being the construction of Dubai’s public libraries. Her efforts aim to support the literature industry and encourage a culture of reading. The goal is to make reading and learning easily accessible to everyone in Dubai by creating modern and comfortable library facilities that cater to different needs.
In 2019, Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum became the Chairman of the Commission. Sheikha Latifa supports and funds local cultural projects that contribute to the growth of Dubai’s cultural and creative industry. These initiatives aim to make culture a part of public life and enhance Dubai’s cultural environment. Some of the common activities she promotes and funds include the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Al Quoz Creative Zone, Dubai Collection, Dubai Art Season, Dubai Design Week, Dubai Watch Week, and Sikka Art Fair.
In 2020, Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum delivered a speech at the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai. During the same year, she also took part in a “Sofa Session” with Becky Anderson, an anchor from CNN’s Connect the World and managing editor of CNN Abu Dhabi. The session discussed “Accessible Creativity: Inclusivity & Diversity” at the World Conference on Creative Economy 2021, which was held at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum made news in May 2022 when she unveiled a six-year strategic blueprint with the objectives of reshaping Dubai into a successful talent hub, a worldwide cultural hub, and an incubator for indigenous creativity. The “Dubai Creative Economy Strategy” and sponsoring council meetings and sessions to interact with members of the cultural and creative community were some of the projects that this strategy was intended to support. These are intended to encourage and assist the development of the nation’s cultural and creative sectors.
Other Positions Held
- Member of Dubai Council
- Vice Chairman of Emirates Literature Foundation
- Chairperson of development of Al Quoz Creative Zone Committee
- Chairperson of the Dubai Collectionâs Steering Committee
- Board member of Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives
Awards, Honours, Achievements
In 2021, Sheikha Latifa received the “First Arab Lady” award from the Arab Women’s Authority for her valuable contributions to Dubai’s cultural and creative industry, and her support for innovative cultural activities that promote Arab and Emirati culture.
Facts/Trivia
- Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum loves writing poetry and horse riding.
- She learned to paint when she was five years old from her aunt and older sister, and as she got older, she honed her artistic painting skills. She obtained a black belt in Taekwondo as a child and studied Kung Fu with her sisters.
- In September 2021, Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum appeared on the cover of Vogue Arabia’s 50th edition. It was her first time being featured on a magazine cover.
- In April 2023, Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum posted a video on social media where she talked about organizing the biggest book sale worldwide. The sale featured over a million discounted books in various genres like business, cookery, children’s books, science fiction, and thrillers.
- Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum garnered global attention in 2023 after posting on social media about the birth of her fourth child. She named her girlchild Hind bint Faisal. She posted,
We were blessed today with a baby girl, Hind bint Faisal.â [3]Sheikha Latifa’s Instagram Post About Her Newborn
References