A HOUSEKEEPER allegedly stole a princess’s wedding ring and a hoard of priceless jewels from a mansion, a court heard.
Maria Taborda Henao, a 71-year-old Colombian cleaner, is accused of raiding the 80-year-old royal’s collection while Princess Firyal of Jordan was visiting family in 2020.
It is alleged that the housekeeper, who had worked for the princess for 11 years, systematically looted diamond rings, bracelets, and earrings.
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard Ms Taborda Henao was the sole person permitted to access the property in Belgravia, , in her employer’s absence.
The alleged stolen haul reportedly included a Cartier brooch and the sentimental wedding band given to the princess upon her 1964 to Prince Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan.
The alleged theft unravelled when Pierre Jeannet, a partner at the high-end jeweller JAR, contacted his royal friend to warn her that a bespoke sapphire and diamond ring made expressly for her was being auctioned in Kent.
Upon further , the princess identified multiple pieces of her stolen collection being sold through Canterbury Auction Galleries since June 2020.
Olly Wellings, prosecuting, said the royal provided a lengthy inventory of the stolen goods, backed up by receipts and photographs of her wearing the gems.
He told the jury: “The items which appeared in the Canterbury auction represent a small selection of the total items missing.”
Among the fenced items was a unique pair of enamel and gem-set earrings, originally purchased from Sotheby’s for £28,750 in 2011, which were reportedly sold off for a mere £400.
It is alleged that the Ms Taborda Henao’s 43-year-old nephew, Julian Ramirez, orchestrated the sales, netting roughly £90,000 in revenue from the auction house while claiming he was trying to open a restaurant.
The prosecutor outlined that Mr Ramirez then transferred £17,835 to his aunt between June 2019 and November 2020 as her share of the illicit proceeds.
When the divorced royal finally returned to her London residence in May 2021, she tragically “found much of her jewellery missing”, the court heard.
Mr Wellings told the court that every genuine gemstone had been stripped from the home, leaving behind only worthless pieces of costume jewellery.
Following a investigation, officers searched Ms Taborda Henao’s Fulham address in November 2020.
The court heard that cops reportedly discovered several items believed to have been plundered from the Belgravia estate.
Mr Ramirez was arrested the same day at an address in Rochester, Kent, but subsequently skipped bail.
It is understood the nephew fled the country in October 2023 and is currently believed to be in Colombia.
Ms Taborda Henao, who appeared in the dock assisted by a Spanish interpreter, denies theft by an employee.
The princess is expected to give evidence on Wednesday.
