Mother Loses £50bn Claim Despite Paternity Test
In 2005, the biggest paternity claim ever to be made was lost. A woman who said she was married to the late Saudi King Fahd and claimed to have a daughter with the King, wasn’t eligible to a cut of his £50bn fortune regardless of a paternity test.
DNA Sample for testing
The story began when Janan Harb demanded a DNA sample from the Saudi Royal Family so she could conduct a paternity DNA test to find out whether or not her daughter, Rania Boueiz, was in fact the King’s child. The paternity DNA test it was thought could help secure her daughter a slice of the massive Saudi royal fortune. The court case hit the headlines as her claim would have became the world’s biggest alimony payout if a test had been taken.
Confirmed Paternity Would Help Case
Rania Boueiz, now in her early thirties and living in London, could have become enormously wealthy if a paternity test had gone ahead. But Rania Boueiz is registered as the daughter of Sami Boueiz, Ms Harb’s third husband. Ms Harb however claimed she was the King’s daughter and felt that a confirmed DNA test would help her multi-million pound High Court claim for maintenance payments for Rania dating back to 1993.
No DNA for Paternity Test
Ms Harb’s solicitors never received a response from the Saudi royal family after demanding DNA for a paternity test. Ms Harb suspected the King who was dubbed a ‘Playboy Prince’ in the seventies and who had a string of wives. Although Ms Harb was married to Mr Boueiz in the seventies it was said that she had an open marriage and was allowed to sleep with the Prince. Some of Ms Harb’s acquaintances have claimed that there are physical similarities between the King and her daughter and only a genetic test could put the matter to rest.
Paternity Case Thrown Out
However, the Saudi Royal Family ended the court claim as the King had subsequently died. King Fahd died aged 82, and the Matrimonial Causes Act Ms Harb had used to make her maintenance claim only applied while the husband and wife were alive. The case was thrown out, even though a paternity test was never even taken.
