Real Housewives of Dubai Star Stranded Thousands of Miles From Sons During Iranian Missile Strikes
Caroline Stanbury found herself 17 hours away from her teenage sons sheltering in Dubai as Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes across the UAE.
'Real Housewives of Dubai' Star Separated From Sons Amid Iranian Strikes on UAE
For Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury, the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel quickly became deeply personal. While Iranian missiles struck the United Arab Emirates over the weekend, Stanbury was stranded thousands of miles away — completely unable to reach her teenage sons sheltering back home in Dubai.
The strikes shattered the UAE's long-held reputation as a secure, glamorous haven for expatriates and tourists. On Saturday, Iranian weaponry struck the region, igniting a five-star resort, threatening the iconic Burj Khalifa — the world's tallest building — and leaving one person dead and seven others injured at Abu Dhabi's international airport.
A Mother's Worst Nightmare
Stanbury, 49, has called the UAE home for the past 12 years. Speaking with Fox News Digital, she described the anguish of being separated from her twin teenage boys during such an unpredictable and dangerous situation.
"Obviously, it's not ideal for anyone to be separated from their children in something so serious as this and so unpredictable, so unprecedented," Stanbury said. "So, I was just sad not to be there."
Both Stanbury and her ex-husband, Turkish financier Cem Habib — with whom she shares three children — were traveling for work when the crisis erupted, leaving neither parent able to quickly return home.
Staying Connected From Afar
Despite being approximately 17 hours away, Stanbury kept her phone on around the clock, maintaining constant communication with her sons. When the boys reported hearing explosions above the city, she guided them remotely — instructing them to stay clear of windows and set up a makeshift shelter in the garage with a mattress as a safety measure.
"There's not a lot you can do," Stanbury acknowledged. "I've been trying to get home, but obviously that's not happening right now."
Regional Airspace Closures Leave Thousands Stranded
Stanbury's situation was far from unique. Since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory attacks on Israel and Gulf states beginning Saturday, commercial aviation across the Middle East has been severely disrupted. Aviation analytics company Cirium reported that approximately 13,000 scheduled flights into and out of the region were canceled in the immediate aftermath.
The chaos left tourists, business travelers, migrant workers, and religious pilgrims stranded across hotels, airports, and cruise ships. Limited flights eventually resumed out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday, as the U.S. State Department issued urgent advisories urging American citizens in 13 countries — including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Oman — to "depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks."
Sons Initially Calm, But Second Night Proved Harder
Stanbury noted that her teenage boys initially downplayed the severity of the situation, as teenagers often do.
"First of all, they're teenage boys," she told Fox News Digital. "So luckily for me, at the beginning it was kind of like, 'Whoa, mom, calm down, everything's fine.' So, I kind of liked to leave them in that bubble."
However, the second night proved far more unsettling. Loud blasts — later identified as air defense systems being activated — rattled her sons as they tried to follow unfolding news coverage.
"The second night was a little bit scarier for them," Stanbury explained. "They realized this may be ongoing and that they would like to be with me or their father at this time. So, that was difficult."
No Plans to Leave Dubai
Despite the terrifying ordeal, Stanbury said her confidence in Dubai as a home base remains unchanged. She has no intention of relocating, emphasizing that violence has become an unfortunate global reality.
The former Ladies of London star and Uncut and Uncensored podcast host drew a stark parallel to her recent travels, noting she had been in Austin, Texas, just two nights before a shooting occurred on 6th Street on March 1 — on the very street where she had dined.
"So, you know — where is safe?" she asked pointedly.
"You just have to be vigilant all around. It's not about moving to different cities anymore, sadly," Stanbury added. "You just have to teach your children and yourself to learn how to protect yourself the best you can, but you can't prepare for any of this."
