The ruler of Dubai published an online poem about “shining swords with sharp blades” on the day his estranged wife asked a British judge to make an arranged marriage protection order.

The billionaire Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 70, posted a verse online called “Swords of the Excellencies” as Princess Haya attended the High Courts of Justice in London for the start of their bitter legal battle over their two children

She was seen in public for the first time on Tuesday after fleeing United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the youngsters earlier this year while apparently “in fear for her life”.

The vice-president and prime minister of the UAE has applied to the British courts for the “summary return” of his two children from Britain.

On Tuesday afternoon - the first day of the preliminary hearing - Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Courts Division, allowed the media to report how the princess was applying for a “forced marriage protection order.”

The 45-year-old Jordanian princess is also asking seeking a non-molestation order, it emerged.

As those details became public triggering headlines around the world, the sheikh, a self-proclaimed poet, posted his latest poem. The verse was uploaded at 4.06pm British time.