asylum.

Life for members of Dubai’s royal family should be a fairy tale.

Surrounded by privilege and opulent wealth, those who call the palace home live glamorous

and exciting lives.

But why then have three princesses tried to flee their palatial home and escape?

Tonight on 60 Minutes, an exclusive interview with a palace insider reveals never-before

-shared secrets from the Royal family.

Marcus Essabri, a member of Dubai’s Royal family, close to Princesses Shamsa and Latifa,

is breaking his silence in a desperate bid to help the Princesses, who he fears are in

danger.

“I'm another hope.

I believe that everything that anybody does will help Latifa and Shamsa,” he tells 60

Minutes reporter Tom Steinfort in an exclusive sneak peek.

For the first time, the palace insider will talk about life inside the royal family where

he says the freedoms of women are severely restricted – and there are torturous consequences

for those who dare to defy those in power.

“There’s no freedom,” he tells Steinfort.

“If I had stayed there, if I had been kept there, I don't think I could have survived.”

The exclusive interview comes after Dubai’s Royal family made international headlines.

Last month, 45-year-old Princess Haya fled Dubai with her two young children, seeking

asylum in London and apparently trying to escape her husband - the powerful, billionaire

ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

But Princess Haya is not the first to attempt escape from Dubai’s Royal family.

In July 2000, 18-year-old Princess Shamsa escaped to England – experiencing just weeks

of freedom before she was found and forcibly taken back to Dubai.

It is alleged that Shamsa has been imprisoned since then, for almost two decades.

Last year, Princess Latifa – Sheik Mohammed’s daughter – tried to flee Dubai.

But her extraordinary escape plan was foiled when armed commandoes raided the boat she

and her friend were using to reach India.

They dragged Latifa away at gunpoint, returning her to Dubai.

60 Minutes speaks exclusively to Marcus Essabri, an exiled member of the royal family who says

his fears for the Princesses wellbeing is now too great to stay quiet.

“I couldn't sleep at night.

I have to do something,” he says.

‘Battle Royale’ airs this Sunday on Channel 9 after Australian Ninja Warrior.

For more from 60 Minutes, visit the official website.