One associates royalty with palaces, Rolls-Royces and superyachts, but unpaid hotel bills sound like something that just doesn’t fit in their reality. It is even harder to believe that a Qatari royal no less would be accused of failing to pay his debts. Sheikh Nasser bin Abdullah Al Thani was sued by one of London’s grandest hotels, The Dorchester, for an unpaid bill of $620,000. A royal appears to love the finer things in life like supercars, horses, luxury hotels and spending time in glamorous cities such as London, Paris and Geneva.
His social media page reveals an affinity towards ‘The Square Mile’ which means five-star hotel stays are always a part of his plans. It doesn’t come as a shock that this member of Qatar’s sprawling ruling family may have stayed for an extended period, although the precise duration has not been disclosed at the illustrious Mayfair property preferred by billionaires and royalty alike.
According to The Financial Times, The Dorchester sued the Sheikh in March 2026 over an outstanding debt which includes $270,000 in room charges, $4500 in interest, and a further $350,000 that was not itemized in the report. The hotel is so prestigious that General Dwight D. Eisenhower used it as his wartime headquarters while planning the Normandy invasion, and the rooms he occupied are now known as the Eisenhower Suite.
Such ultra-luxurious suites would appeal to royals, especially someone whose address was listed as the extravagant Al Wajiba Palace in Doha, and cost upwards of $10,000 a night. In a laughable turn of events, the County Court at Central London gave the hotel permission to sell the Sheikh’s vehicle to recoup the sum. No, it is not a multimillion-dollar supercar like those that dominate his Instagram, including a white Gemballa Mirage GT, a Lamborghini Aventador or a reportedly unique yellow-and-black Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.
It was in fact a 2011 Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, a limited-edition compact city car, accented with racing stripes and worth approximately $31000 equaling a three-night stay at The Dorchester. Some limited-edition cognac bottles cost more. Even with this sale, it is just a bucket out of the ocean of al-Thani’s debt, covering a measly 5% of his entire debt. As for Al-Thani, he neither attended the court hearing nor sent legal representation. The court papers listed his address as Al Wajiba Palace in Doha; however, the sheikh’s legal team claimed he was not properly served. His lawyers said he was completely unaware of the proceedings and disputed the total sum.
The man who became Málaga CF’s vice-president and chief executive in 2015, before being removed in 2020, flaunted his ultra-luxurious lifestyle that took him to prime properties like the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, Shangri-La Paris and Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait. On the one hand, the royal appears to continue living life king-size like nothing is wrong, and on the other, a Spanish judge has also ordered European and international arrest warrants for Nasser, his father and his brothers. Despite these complications involving The Dorchester, Sheikh Nasser posted an Instagram Story on September 2 that appeared to place him at an upscale London restaurant in the same Mayfair neighborhood.
