Caroline Stanbury Sees Silver Lining in Middle East Conflict for Dubai
British socialite and reality television star Caroline Stanbury has controversially suggested that the ongoing war engulfing the Middle East is "not all bad" because it may help "correct" what she describes as the "ugly" influx of expatriates into her adopted home city of Dubai. The 49-year-old former friend of Prince Andrew made these candid remarks while stranded in Los Angeles, unable to fly back to her twin sons after Iranian retaliatory missile strikes disrupted commercial airspace across the Gulf region.
Stranded in LA Amid Regional Escalation
The situation developed after the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran last month, triggering a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes across the Middle East. Dubai, which hosts a significant population of British influencers and content creators, experienced multiple incidents. Debris from an intercepted missile set fire to a luxury hotel on the iconic Palm Jumeirah, and a drone later struck the United States consulate in the city.
Speaking on her podcast, Uncut and Uncensored, Stanbury revealed she has been in the United States since early February, having traveled to film the latest series of the American version of the hit reality show The Traitors. This has left her unable to return to Dubai, where her 14-year-old twin sons, Zack and Aaron, remain with their father and her ex-husband, investment banker Cem Habib.
"A Little Bit of a Correction" for Dubai
Stanbury described the situation in Dubai as "crazy" and acknowledged that constant missile alerts are "not good for your nervous system." However, she insisted the conflict presents a potential benefit. "I feel like I'm going home to maybe a different Middle East... maybe things will slow down a bit, but I actually don't think that's bad," she stated.
"I think there needed to be a little bit of a correction because everybody was coming. And when that happens, you get the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think some of the ugly needed to go and I'm not unhappy about that. Not to mention the traffic," Stanbury elaborated, suggesting the security concerns might deter certain expatriates.
Long-Term Resident Defends Her Chosen Home
Born in London and educated at the prestigious Westonbirt boarding school in Gloucestershire before attending King's College London, Stanbury has called Dubai home for nearly twelve years. She moved there after her then-husband, Cem, received a job offer in the region. The couple divorced in 2019 after fifteen years of marriage, and in 2021 she married Spanish former footballer Sergio Carrallo, who is nineteen years her junior.
Despite the current tensions, Stanbury expressed unwavering commitment to Dubai. "I'm very, very attached to the city. So no, I won't be moving even after this. My home is there. My children are there. My life is there. I love it," she affirmed, praising the lifestyle and opportunities the city provides.
Addressing Safety and Speculation
Stanbury also addressed perceptions of safety, comparing her experiences in the Middle East and America. "I know that people are second-guessing choices, like, will I feel okay to go back to the Middle East? I love America. I work here. It's given me so many good opportunities... but I don't consider it safer than living where I live, the Middle East. In fact, I would say the Middle East where I am is still safer than America today," she contended.
She firmly hit back at suggestions that she is financially compensated by the Emirati government to promote the country. "I keep hearing these things like the government pay me... the government doesn't pay me anything. I don't even know if the government particularly knows I exist at this point. I'm definitely not paid to say all this. It is just the actual truth," Stanbury insisted.
Personal and Professional Reflections
Reflecting on her career, Stanbury highlighted the contrast between her experiences in London and Dubai. A fixture of London's upper-class social scene before her move, she is the daughter of venture capitalist Anthony Stanbury and his wife Elizabeth, who is connected to the wealthy Vestey dynasty.
"Working in London and getting to where I was, there was always this feeling of like, she was handed it, she didn't work for it, she's lucky. And that just doesn't exist in the Middle East," Stanbury explained. "I proved [that] to everyone because when I got to the Middle East, I didn't know anyone. So no one's given me a hand up. No one's making it easy for me and no one's handing me anything."
She credited Dubai's tax-free status as a key factor in her entrepreneurial success. "It gave me energy because I didn't have to give half of my money away to tax. I didn't have to worry about these things. So I had excess money to start businesses," she admitted.
Disrupted Milestone and Current Challenges
The timing of the conflict has delivered a personal blow to Stanbury, forcing her to postpone a major milestone celebration. "It's my 50th in April. That kind of got kaput too because I had planned the biggest party... I had about 190 people due to come. I really wanted to celebrate with everyone - my family, my friends - and also my achievements," she shared, noting the event is now likely moved to September.
She expressed difficulty reconciling a series of challenging events this year, which also included the Los Angeles wildfires. "I'm finding it really hard to reconcile why all of these things are happening to us at once," Stanbury said. "It's been a very funny year because it started with the fire, which took me weeks to put out of my mind. And then now this for us... apparently we are the most-hit-with-missiles country in the shortest period of time ever."
Stanbury, an original cast member on Bravo's Ladies of London from 2014 to 2017 before joining the inaugural cast of The Real Housewives of Dubai in 2022, remains a prominent figure among the approximately 240,000 British expatriates in Dubai, a community that includes other notable names like Kate and Rio Ferdinand and Petra Ecclestone.
