Jordanian princess discovered her stolen engagement ring on the cover of an auction catalogue, court hears

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.

Princess Firyal Irshaid, 81, told Southwark Crown Court she only learned her one-of-a-kind engagement ring had been taken from her Belgravia home when its designer, Pierre Jeannet, called to ask if she was selling it — it was on the front of a Canterbury Auction Galleries catalogue. She fled London in March 2020 with three hours' notice to catch the last plane before Jordan shut its airport, leaving her housekeeper of 11 years, Maria Virgelina Taborda Henao, 71, in charge of the property.

Taborda Henao is accused of stealing the jewellery during the pandemic and selling it across three auction sales in March, May and August 2020.

The princess said the ring, made exclusively for her by luxury jeweller JAR, was 'the only one like it in the world' and had been selected as the centrepiece of the catalogue's cover.

Taborda Henao's nephew, Julian Ramirez, allegedly acted as a 'key conduit' for the sales, transferring £17,835 to his aunt during the period of the thefts.