Housekeeper cleared of stealing Jordanian princess’s jewels
A long-serving housekeeper has been found not guilty of stealing expensive jewellery from her employer, a Jordanian princess. A jury in London took less than two hours to clear Maria Virgelina Taborda Henao, 71, of theft. She had been accused of stealing several items from the home in Belgravia when Princess Firyal, 81, flew to Jordan at the outbreak of Covid in 2020. Princess Firyal was married…
A 71-year-old Colombian housekeeper, Maria Virgelina Taborda Henao, has been acquitted of charges of stealing expensive jewelry from her employer, Princess Firyal, the Jordanian princess. The jury in London reached a verdict in under two hours, finding her not guilty of theft. The accusations arose when Princess Firyal, 81, returned to Jordan in 2020 amid the onset of Covid-19.
She informed her housekeeper that several items from her jewelry collection had gone missing after a jeweler friend alerted her to the items' appearance at an auction in Canterbury. The stolen items included a custom-made sapphire and diamond ring. Police recovered Princess Firyal's wedding ring, a pair of earrings, and a necklace during a search of Henao's Fulham residence.
The princess believed the wedding ring had been lost for years. Henao, who had worked for Princess Firyal for 11 years, testified in Spanish through an interpreter that she was falsely accused of theft, and that the princess had called her a thief and made similar allegations against others. Henao's nephew, Julian Ramirez, was also arrested and accused of facilitating the items' sale. He fled to Colombia in October 2023 while on police bail.
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