A housekeeper accused of stealing jewellery from a Jordanian princess's Belgravia mansion has told a court she was one of several members of staff repeatedly accused of being a thief.
Maria Virgelina Taborda Henao, 71, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court charged with stealing valuable jewellery from the London home of Princess Firyal Irshaid while the royal was abroad during the Covid pandemic.
Accusations of theft
Giving evidence on Monday through a Spanish interpreter, Taborda Henao said relations between household staff and the princess could be difficult. Asked by her barrister, Manveer Cheema, about tensions between her and the princess, she replied: "She called me a thief."
Asked how the accusation made her feel, Taborda Henao said: "Bad." When Mr Cheema asked whether she was a thief, she replied: "No."
The defendant told jurors the accusations were not directed solely at her. Asked whether the princess made similar allegations against other members of staff, she said: "Yes." "She used to tell all of us the same thing," the court heard.
Alleged theft and sale
Taborda Henao, who is also known as Lina, worked as Princess Firyal's housekeeper for 11 years. Prosecutors allege she exploited her trusted position to steal items from the princess's jewellery collection after being left in charge of the Belgravia property in 2020.
The court has heard the princess, now 81, left Britain during the pandemic and later discovered pieces from her collection had been sold through auction houses. Last week, Princess Firyal told jurors she became aware of the alleged thefts when a friend spotted her engagement ring pictured on the front cover of an auction catalogue.
"He asked: 'Are you selling your jewellery?'" she told the court. "I said: 'No, what are you talking about?'" The princess said her friend informed her that a ring specially made for her engagement had appeared in the catalogue.
Recovered items and denial
Jurors have heard that during a search of Taborda Henao's home in Fulham, officers recovered a wedding ring, earrings and a jewelled necklace said to belong to the princess.
The defendant's nephew, Julian Ramirez, is alleged by prosecutors to have acted as a "key conduit" in the sale of stolen items. The court has heard that £17,835 was transferred to Taborda Henao between June 2019 and November 2020. Ramirez is believed to have travelled to Colombia while on police bail in 2023.
Taborda Henao told the court she was unaware that any of the princess's possessions had been stolen or sold and denied any involvement in the alleged offences. Princess Firyal married Prince Muhammad bin Talal, the younger brother of Jordan's late King Hussein, in 1964. Taborda Henao denies theft by employee. The trial continues.
