Princess Maha Al-Sudairi
Princess Maha Al-Sudairi

Three "Aladdin's caves" stuffed full of luxury goods belonging to a shopaholic Saudi princess are to be seized by creditors chasing millions of euros in unpaid bills.

A judge in France has ordered the lock-ups rented by Princess Maha al-Sudairi to be opened so that creditors - including major hotels - can get their money back.

The ruling came after Maha, who is reportedly in her 50s, ended a six-month stay at the Shangri-la hotel in Paris last June and fled in the dead of night with her 60-strong entourage in a fleet of limousines packed with suitcases containing a wealth of designer goods.

Seven creditors are pursuing the princess in the courts for €10m they claim she owes.

During her stay at the Shangri-la she had an entire floor of 41 rooms to herself and her hangers-on.

The contents of the three storage units have an estimated value of €12m. They will be valued and sold at auction.

A Shangri-la spokesman said: "As far the process of getting paid goes, it's likely to take a long time.

"Her belongings will need to be valued and sold at auction and even then we may need to take international legal action against the princess before we see any cash."

Among the creditors is a car hire firm which rented Maha 30 cars for the entire duration of her stay in Paris. Cinquieme Etoile's outstanding bill stands at €1.5m.

A spokesman said: "We are still awaiting payment. The people we subcontracted to are suing us because they haven't been paid either."

Maha's spending habits resulted in her being locked up in 2009 inside a palace in Saudi Arabia by King Abdullah in an effort to curb the bills. That was after she racked up £15m in IOUs - including £60,000 on luxury underwear in the French capital.

His efforts failed as she escaped and went back on a shopping spree. In Paris, she splashed out on more than €20,000 in glassware and had to bailed out again.