Fiona Govan
THE former wife of a senior Qatari royal has been found dead at her home in Marbella of a suspected drug overdose.
Kasia Gallanio, 45, was found dead on Sunday afternoon and a post mortem is due to be carried out on Tuesday to determine the cause of death.
Initial investigations suggest she may have died from a drug overdose, according to a report in French newspaper Le Parisien which broke the news.
The Polish American Kasia was the third wife of Abdelaziz bin Khalifa Al-Thani, 73, who is the uncle of the current amir of Qatar.
They in 2004 and married soon after and had three daughters but have since divorced and been involved in a bitter custody row, with the eldest daughter alleging her father had touched her inappropriately.
Kasia remained at one of the couple’s homes in Marbella while her ex-husband stayed in Paris where he had been in exile since 1992 when he was accused of plotting a coup against the then Qatari ruler.
The French newspaper claimed Kasia had been suffering from depression and experienced problems with alcohol addiction.
Louis Spagnuolo, a close friend of Kasia in Marbella, told the Olive Press: “I knew her very very well and am devastated at the news.
“She was a very good person to everyone and those you knew her, loved her.”
He insisted: “She loved her daughters beyond belief and would never leave them. She was dead against drugs and was never an alcoholic.”
READ ALSO:
