Updated

A Belgian court is hearing the case of a princess from Abu Dhabi and her seven daughters accused of mistreating around 20 servants forced to work for them in a plush Brussels hotel.

The case dates from 2008, when police raided the Conrad Hotel where the now 64-year-old princess, Sheikha Hamda Al-Nahyan, had rented out the entire 4th floor for a few months.

Around 15 plaintiffs are involved in the case. They claim that some of the servants were forced to sleep on the floor and tend to the princesses around the clock for little or no money.

None of the accused appeared in court for the closed-door hearing, ending Friday. Lawyers declined to talk to reporters while the case was being heard.

A verdict is unlikely before September.