'Despondent and desperate': Princess Latifa's secret video diaries paint a harrowing picture of life of a 'missing princess'

But very quickly the relief fades, because what you see is a woman for whom time is running out: she is pale, gaunt, despondent and desperate.

This is a cry for help, and surely now the world can no longer ignore the plight of Princess Latifa.

It's now more than 1100 days since the brave royal was abducted off the coast of India and taken back to Dubai, where she's been held in solitary confinement ever since.

Her crime? Wanting freedom for her father's oppressive land.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the all-powerful ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.

The Sheikh is obsessed with his reputation — trying to promote himself as a progressive leader who is a champion of women's rights.

But it's a smokescreen.

Last year, Britain's High Court decided, despite the Sheikh's repeated denials, that he did abduct and imprison Latifa.

Not only that, he's also kidnapped and locked up another daughter, Princess Shamsa, as well as threatening and intimidating his ex-wife Princess Haya.

But Princess Latifa's cries for help from her prison compound are the most irrefutable evidence yet of the horrors being carried out under the Sheikh's watch.

This is a woman who has been not just emotionally tortured but also physically beaten.

Despite the dangers, the princess risked her life by attempting this latest daring plea for help from the outside world, sending a series of videos to a few trusted contacts, spelling out her dire existence in captivity.

I was first given a brief glimpse of these videos last year, having built a close relationship with the dedicated team that continues to fight for their friend's release.

Naturally, I was sworn to secrecy at the time given the extreme sensitivities around the operation.

It's a relief we can now finally expose the atrocious conditions in which Princess Latifa is held, which could not be further from Sheikh Mohammed's claims that his daughter is "safe" and "loved and cherished" by her family.

Sadly, Latifa's case is just an example of the wider treatment of women in the UAE, where "male guardianship laws" enshrine the role of females in society as effectively second-class citizens, answerable to men.

These are obviously outdated attitudes, which we probably associate with a limited few underdeveloped countries — but the UAE has the hide to try and promote itself as a progressive and prosperous nation.

With all the money they spend on PR charm offensives, somehow Dubai's leaders continue to be feted by western powers, who've come to rely on the UAE as a key strategic partner in the Middle East.

But now the tide is turning.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his concern about the new videos of Princess Latifa. The new US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has signalled human rights abuses will no longer be tolerated in the region.

They can talk the talk, but will they walk the walk?

It's time for Sheikh Mohammed to finally be held accountable.