Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the youngest wife of the multi-billionaire ruler of Dubai, has urged a British court to protect one of her ­children by granting a forced marriage ­protection order.

The Jordanian princess, who fled to Britain in May with her two children “in fear for her life”, is fighting an ­application from her husband, Sheikh Mohammed, for the “summary return” of the youngsters to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Jordanian princess is also seeking a non-molestation order, a process normally used to protect someone who claims they have been subjected to ­domestic violence. However, the ­details surrounding the order, ­including to whom it applies, cannot be reported.

The children are living with their mother in her £85 million home in Kensington, west London. The princess has applied successfully for them to be wards of court, and any decisions about their ­future cannot be made without the approval of the presiding judge, Sir Andrew McFarlane, the president of the Family Courts Division.

Princess Haya, 45, attended the first day of the preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It is the first time she has been seen in public since she left her family home in the Gulf last month.