When Morocco’s King Mohammed VI married Princess Lalla Salma in 2001, there were lavish public celebrations that broke a protocol of keeping royal wives out of sight.
But for nearly two years, there has been no trace of the mother of two, who is now regularly referred to as Morocco’s “missing” princess.
Rumours regarding her whereabouts have been swirling since she was last seen in public in late 2017, and it is widely believed the royal couple have secretly divorced.
Some believe she has remained in Morocco but has been deliberately kept hidden, while other theories argue the royal is living in exile in the US, or on a Greek island with the couple’s young daughter.
However, the palace has never released any official details, and Moroccan media do not report on the mystery.
King Mohammed VI, now 55, and Princess Lalla Salma, now 40, met at a party in 1999 and wed several years later.
The princess became the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title.
They have two children — 15-year-old Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, who is considered to be one of the “richest teenagers in the world”, and Princess Lalla Khadija, 11.
Princess Lalla Salma, whose father was a schoolteacher, studied engineering at university and worked in the industry for several months before gaining her royal role.
She publicly supported several causes, including cancer organisations HIV/AIDS prevention and the Fez Sacred Music Festival.
She has also represented her husband and country in a number of high-profile international meetings, and was a guest at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding.
Princess Lalla Salma is not the only missing royal to make headlines in recent years.
Dubai’s Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum has not been seen in public since March 2018 after secretly fleeing the conservative United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a daring escape — only to be captured by commandos soon after.
The 33-year-old daughter of Dubai’s leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, released an alarming video shortly before her capture warning of the dangers she faced.
“If you are watching this, it’s not such a good thing. Either I’m dead or I’m in a very, very, very bad situation.”