Jackson avoids battle with Sheikh

The promised battle between Michael Jackson and the son of the King of Bahrain, which was due to commence in the High Court today, is off. Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa had accused Jackson of breaching a contract to record two albums for his record label and was seeking the return of a £4.7m advance. But the 50-year-old singer reportedly came to an agreement with his former friend at the 11th hour.

It was known that Jackson, who had claimed the Sheikh had given him the money as a gift, was not keen on a court appearance. This would have happened at 10am this morning, and many of his fans had camped outside the Royal Courts of Justice in the hope of seeing the star.

A spokesman for Jackson said: "As Mr Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle."

The pop-loving Sheikh, 33, claimed that he helped to fund Jackson's defence against child molestation charges in California in 2005, and then paid for him to live a life of luxury in Bahrain, even building him a recording studio. In return, he said that Jackson had agreed to produce two albums for his record label, as well as an autobiography and a stage show.
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