A Saudi Princess is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom over fears she could be persecuted by members of her family at home.

Saudi Arabia’s princess Sara bint Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the granddaughter of Saudi Arabia’s founder Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, and who is known as the ‘ Barbie ‘ princess, has applied to Britain’s Home Office for political asylum for herself and her 4 daughters.

Princess Sara has officially told in a statement that after she and her children’s leave to remain in the United Kingdom expired, they applied to continue their stay in this country. However, this was refused by the Home Office last year.

She currently occupies a suite and several rooms in a five-star London hotel with her 4 daughters and 2 dogs, guarded by a private security team.

Sara bint Talal bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s princess claims asylum in Britain

Princess Sara’s lawyers notified the Home Office of her intention last week to seek asylum. She has lived in Britain for five years after she fell out with her 80-year-old father, Prince Talal, once known as ‘ the Red Prince ‘ for his support for Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Among her 14 siblings is Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, who runs the country’s sovereign wealth fund and is the second-largest shareholder in News Corp.

38-year-old Arabian princess Sara has had a continuing heritage battle with her older brother Prince Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud over their dead mother’s 325 million pound fortune made up of cash, jewels and property in  Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Egypt and Lebanon. But the ‘ Barbie ‘ princess claims she was cut off from her inheritance. Saudi officials have asked her to return to Riyadh to argue her case, rather than air her grievances abroad.

Her asylum claim offers an insight into the tensions in the royal family. With the current king ill, Princess Sara was supported by her uncle, the Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a rival of her father’s. But he has died last month, leaving Sara’s exposed and apparently prompting her push for asylum in Britain.

Saudi Arabia’s ‘ Barbie ‘ Sara al-Saud is seeking political asylum in Britain / UK ministers must decide if she is allowed to stay in the country

Two years after Sara bint Talal bin Abdulaziz moved to United Kingdom her passport expired, and the Saudi embassy estranged to issue a new one. Saudi Arabia’s princess is threatened with deportation because her visa has run out. A mystery backer gives Sara’s a regular income.

Saudi princess Sara has commented : ‘ My reputation has been besmirched in the media by a baseless and malicious smear campaign. For years I have endured all this in silence, while trying to resolve my situation with dignity through the normal channels, without fanfare or publicity. But my pleas to the Saudi authorities in the Kingdom have been obstructed and denied, and the Saudi embassy in London has turned its back on me. ‘

Britain has to decide if her claims are valid and risk sparking a diplomatic spat by accepting Saudi Arabia’s Sara request.