LONDON - A BAHRAINI prince felt 'a strong sense of personal betrayal' when pop megastar Michael Jackson walked out on a deal the two had apparently reached, London's High Court heard on Tuesday.

Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, second son of the King of Bahrain, is suing cash-strapped Jackson for US$7 million (S$10.7 million), demanding the repayment of several advances which the artist has argued were gifts.

Michael Jackson is too sick to travel LONDON - MICHAEL Jackson might be too sick to travel to London to testify in a suit claiming he owes an Arab sheik US$7 million (S$10.7 million), the pop star's attorney said on Tuesday. Jackson is seeking to give his testimony by video link from the United States. ... more

According to the prince's lawyer Bankim Thanki, Jackson signed a contract to record albums, write an autobiography and stage shows, and that document noted that US$7 million would be deducted from the artist's royalties to pay for the expenses.

Jackson visited Bahrain with his children and personal staff in the aftermath of his 2005 child molestation trial, and left in May 2006 to go to Europe and Japan.

A month later, he asked Sheikh Abdulla to sign a document releasing Jackson from his obligations under the previous contract, a request the prince refused, Mr Thanki said.

'My client felt a strong sense of personal betrayal because this was someone he considered a close personal friend,' he told the court.

'The work they had done together and the plans for the future all seemed to be totally frustrated'.

Representing Jackson, who was not in court but has been called on to give evidence via video link from Los Angeles, Robert Englehart said: 'There is no doubt that Sheikh Abdulla was very generous in his hospitality and general treatment of Michael Jackson'.

'It will be my submission that this contract is clearly intended by both parties to be one of the contractual arrangements in a joint venture which never actually materialised', he said. 'This was one brick in a building which was never built'.

Mr Thanki told the court on Monday that Jackson and the sheikh have a 'close personal relationship' and even collaborated on a musical project - Jackson recorded a song written by the prince which was planned as a charity single.

A recording of the song will be played in court during the trial.

According to the sheikh's lawyer, he helped support Jackson financially after the 2005 trial, including a request for US$1 million in April 2005, and the US$2.2 million legal bill for the court case.

Jackson contests the claim, saying the sheikh's case is based on 'mistake, misrepresentation and undue influence'. -- AFP