Amal Clooney has cancelled her appearances at the Women World Changers Summits in Sydney and Melbourne next month, citing commitments at The Hague.
Fans, who paid up to $2200 a ticket, are said to be seriously disappointed after the human rights lawyer was due to give keynote speeches at the major Australian conferences.
This week conference organisers informed Women World Changers Summit ticketholders that Amal – who is married to Hollywood heavy weight George Clooney – would be replaced with The Project’s Waleed Aly, who is also a lawyer, as well as writer and academic.
But some paying attendees aren’t having a bar of it, saying they paid to hear 38-year-old Amal speak.
Punters reportedly forked out anywhere between $825 and $2200 a ticket for the event.
One attendee told The Sydney Morning Herald that she was extremely frustrated at the turn of events.
“I paid $825 to see Amal, not Waleed Aly,” she said.
It hasn’t yet been revealed whether attendees who paid the highest ticket price for a meet and greet with Amal will be refunded.
The SMH says that although there are other high-profile speakers in the conference line-up, but none have the same impact the British lawyer does.
Gold Logie winner, Waleed Aly.
Tickeholders were greeted with the news via an email to the 1000 people who had paid to attend the event.
“We are writing to advise that The Growth Faculty has received notice that Amal Clooney has been called to hearings at The Hague over the conference dates and will not be available to attend the Women World Changers Summit in October,” it read.
Former president of the Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed with his lawyer, Amal Clooney.
It’s not known whether George would have accompanied her, but fans who purchased tickets earlier had shared on social media they were hopeful that he might.
While Amal might be married to a movie star and turn up on red carpets, she takes her job as a human rights lawyer very seriously.
Earlier this year the attorney and activist helped secure an important diplomatic victory whereby she worked with a legal team to secure political refugee status to the former president of the Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed..
WATCH: Julia Roberts opens up about the influence Amal has had on George Clooney
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