Princess found stolen engagement ring in UK auction house catalogue, court told

A Jordanian princess discovered her stolen jewellery, including her one-of-a-kind engagement ring, on sale at a Canterbury auction house, a court heard.

Princess Firyal Irshaid, 81, had left the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, during which her beloved jewellery collection was taken from her Belgravia home and put up for sale.

Her housekeeper, Maria Virgelina Taborda Henao, 71, is now on trial at Southwark Crown Court, accused of using her access to carry out the thefts.

Princess Firyal told jurors on Wednesday that she had discovered her possessions had been stolen when her engagement ring was pictured on the front of an auction house catalogue.

She said her friend, Pierre Jeannet, a partner in high-end jewellery maker JAR who had crafted the ring, called on November 21 2020.

“He asked: ‘Are you selling your jewellery?’ And I said: ‘No, what are you talking about?’”, she told the court.

“He told me my ring, made specially for my engagement, was on the cover of a catalogue in an auction house.”

Princess Firyal married Prince Muhammad bin Talal, the younger brother of King Hussein of Jordan, in 1964, in a marriage which lasted for 14 years.

Taborda Henao, also known as Lina, worked as the princess’s housekeeper for 11 years, and is accused of stealing jewellery while looking after the Belgravia home in 2020.

Her nephew, Julian Ramirez, is said to have acted as a “key conduit for the sale of stolen property”, and transferred £17,835 to Taborda Henao between June 23 2019 and November 28 2020.

Princess Firyal said that, once alerted to the sale, she obtained copies of the catalogue at Canterbury Auction Galleries and set about proving that she was the true owner of the jewels.

She said the engagement ring, which had been chosen to headline the catalogue, was made specially for her by JAR and was “the only one like it in the world”.

She obtained catalogues from three past sales, in March, May and August 2020 and found more of her property had been sold, but said the auction house managing director, David Parker, was “dismissive” when she first called up to say what had happened.

“I told them who I am, told them I own the pieces,” she said. “He was so disrespectful and dismissive.”

Jurors heard the princess used documents she could get hold of in Jordan, including bills of sale, catalogue images, a photograph of her wearing a pair of earrings that had been stolen, and a picture of a bracelet at her home, to prove she was the real owner.

Talking about her jewellery collection, Princess Firyal said it is her “love” as a longtime collector.

“I understand fine art, I love it, and I know I will invest well,” she said.

“Every room I live in has jewellery everywhere, in cupboards, but they are open.

“Most of the time it’s on the counter, what I was wearing that week.

“It was not hidden; anyone could come and take what they wanted – if they mean to.”

Princess Firyal told the court she left her UK home in mid-March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, after getting a phone call from her son giving her three hours to pack and get to the airport.

“It was the last plane leaving before they shut the airport in Jordan,” she said.

“There was no chance I was going to miss it. I didn’t want to be here alone; I had no family.”

Taborda Henao was the only staff member left behind, and she told the court that when security guards are on duty, they are strictly only allowed outside the property.

Jurors have heard the princess agreed for Taborda Henao’s sister, Ramirez’s mother, to move into the property during the early stages of the pandemic, and then agreed to pay her a salary.

“I thought it was odd, but I accepted it”, she said, adding that she was told later in 2020 that the sister had fallen ill and left.

She told the court she did not know Ramirez’s name until she was “told by the police who had consigned my jewellery to the auction house”.

During a search of Taborda Henao’s Fulham home, police found the princess’s wedding ring, a pair of earrings, and a jewelled metal necklace.

Ramirez is believed to have flown to Colombia in October 2023 while on police bail.

Taborda Henao denies theft by an employee. The trial continues.