From Jojo Siwa and Chris Hughes, to Harry Styles and Zoe Kravitz, the celeb world never fails to bring us some interesting relationship updates. In the same week Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, French Montana dropped some wedding news of his own. The musician is set to marry a princess. Yes, you read that right.
French Montana – whose real name is Karim Kharbouch – has revealed that he is engaged to Dubai Princess Sheikha Mahra Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum after one year of dating.
The ‘Unforgettable’ rapper’s team has confirmed that he popped the question to Sheikha Mahra, 31, during Paris Fashion Week in June. They revealed that French, 40, proposed shortly after he walked the runway for the first time for the 3.Paradis Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2026 show. How romantic.
Walking Paris Fashion week © Pierre Suu/Getty Images
According to insiders, both families are ‘excited’ for the wedding day, with the date still to be decided.
With wedding bells ringing, here’s everything to know about French Montana and his Dubai princess – including how Sheikha Mahra once dumped her ex on Instagram…
Who is French Montana’s Fiance, Sheikha Mahra?
Sheikha Mahra is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – the ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the UAE. Her mother, Zoe Grigorakos, is a Greek socialite. Mahra was actually born Christina at birth, before choosing to adopt her Arabic name after moving to the UAE.
After earning a degree in International Relations in London, she ventured into entrepreneurship, launching her perfume line Mahra M1.
When did French Montana and Sheikha Mahra meet?
Rumours of a romance first emerged in October of last year, when the daughter of the Dubai ruler shared several pictures of her giving Moroccan-American rapper French a tour of the United Arab Emirates City. Keeping it lowkey, the pair have since been spotted at the Pont des arts in Paris, several restaurants in Morocco, and on ‘desert escapades by camelback’.
However, the couple only took their relationship public this summer when stepping out at several Paris Fashion Week events holding hands. Yes, the very same Paris Fashion Week at which they got engaged…
What happened between Sheikha Mahra and her ex-husband?
Mahra has hit headlines before, going viral last year for announcing her split via Instagram.
The princess was previously married to husband Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Radid bin Mana Al Maktoum, having tied the knot in 2023. However, she announced her split last June on social media – just four months before sharing snaps of her showing French Montana the sights of Dubai.
The royal – who shares a one year old daughter with her ex – wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, ‘Dear Husband, as you are occupied with other companions, I hereby declare our divorce. I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you. Take care, Your ex-wife.’
The statement invoked the Islamic practise of ‘triple talaq,’ which is a law allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by saying it three times. Although Sheikha Mahra couldn’t legally divorce her husband through this method (with only men able to carry it out under Islamic Law), she hinted that her marriage was officially over the following month. Sharing a selfie of her and her daughter, she captioned it ‘Just the two of us.’
Following her split, Mahra released her debut scent for her Mahra M1 fragrance line. Aptly, she called it ‘Divorce.’
Is French Montana Muslim?
Following in the footsteps of her father, Sheika Mahra is a Muslim. Having been born and raised in Morocco before relocating to America aged 13, French is also a practising Muslim.
The rapper has previously been open about his faith, revealing he takes Ramadan seriously by fasting from food, social media, and ‘negative things’.
Revealing he takes the month off, French explained, ‘Every Ramadan it gets harder because you’re trying to do things you didn’t do last Ramadan just to get better. It’s all about energy. For me to not work during Ramadan, I lose a lot of money, but then it keeps me away from just seeing naked females, and this and this and that.’
Who has French Montana dated in the past?
Since rising to fame with his hit songs ‘Unforgettable’ and ‘All The Way Up’, French Montana has dated several famous faces.
In 2014, the rapper was linked to Khloe Kardashian. His relationship with the reality star was sweet, with them parting ways after a few months.
However, the pair have remained close friends. Opening up about Khloe in 2019, French shared, ‘Me and Khloe are always going to be friends, and the family still remains close. I feel like we had a real dope relationship – there was no bad blood, nobody did something to somebody that we couldn’t come back from. When the love was like that, it’s always going to be like that.’
©Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In 2016, French struck up a relationship with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. The pair were first spotted together in July, however they’d called it quits by November. Teasing his relationship with the ‘Fancy’ singer, French previously said, ‘I’m just out here having fun enjoying life, man. I always knew Iggy, but she was always in a relationship.’
After splitting from Iggy, the rapper began dating Basketball Wives alum Evelyn Lozada in December 2017. The couple kept their relationship private, before breaking up in April 2018.
French has experienced his own divorce, too. In 2007, the star married Deen Kharbouch, with the pair welcoming a son in October 2010. However, they filed for divorce in 2012, finalising their split two years later.
French Montana has previously been candid with fans about the reality of dating someone who is working through a divorce. Speaking in 2016, he shared, ‘It’s real emotional, it’s a sensitive space for them. It’s real shit. But sometimes you have to sacrifice for what you want.’
Does Sheikha Mahra have Instagram?
The royal did once have a popular Instagram page, however she has since deleted it.
Charlotte Roberts is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment.
