Ex-Princess of Qatar Found Dead

Kasia Gallanio had been battling for custody of her 3 daughters
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 1, 2022 11:37 AM CDT

A former princess of Qatar has been found dead in her bed in Spain. Polish-American Kasia Gallanio, who was once married to Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the 73-year-old uncle of the emir of Qatar, was discovered in the family's apartment in the resort city of Marbella on Sunday, reports the AP. Early indications are that she died of a drug overdose, per Sky News. There were no signs of any physical violence, according to French newspaper Le Parisien, which first reported the news. Police were called to the home by one of Gallanio's three daughters, who said her mother wasn't returning phone calls, per the AP.

All three daughters—17-year-old twins and a 15-year-old, per Yahoo News—live with their father in France, which has been his home base since his exile over a coup in the 1990s, according to Le Parisien. Gallanio, said to be 45 or 46, was denied custody of the children following a yearslong legal battle, which focused on allegations that Abdelaziz sexually assaulted one daughter, per Sky. He has consistently denied the allegations. Gallanio had lately been battling alcoholism and depression, Le Parisien reports. In an April interview, she described feeling trapped in a "golden cage," adding she had to sell her jewelry to make ends meet as her ex-husband, a former oil and finance minister, was refusing to pay child support. (More Spain stories.)

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