Is there feminism in the East? Yes, and it's not just about secular states. One of the representatives of the royal family of Saudi Arabia "broke through the glass ceiling": Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan became the 11th ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States and, in fact, the first lady in the history of the kingdom to hold such an important diplomatic post. What else is known about the eastern princess?
Born in Riyadh, but lived in the USA for a long time
Princess of Rome was born in 1974 in the capital of the Kingdom. Her father, Bandar bin Sultan, is one of the grandchildren of the founder and first king of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz ibn Abdurrahman Al Saud. Bandar bin Sultan served as the US ambassador for over 20 years, so Her Highness lived overseas for quite some time, and even studied at George Washington University in Washington DC in her youth. Here she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Museum Studies.
Active business lady
The princess returned to Riyadh in 2005 and took up sports seriously. First, she co-founded the Yibreen sports and SP complex, then held the position of chief executive in several large corporations, in 2013 she introduced her brand of luxury bags Baraboux, becoming the creative director.
Sports support
Her Highness has held various leadership positions in the kingdom and for a time focused on sports. The lady worked as Deputy Minister of Planning and Development of the General Federation of Sports of Saudi Arabia, was a member of the International Olympic Committee "Women in Sport" and the Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia.
Fight against oncology
Her Highness is the main organizer of the 10KSA initiative, in which 10,000 women from Saudi Arabia are united in the fight against breast cancer (breast cancer is considered one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in the kingdom between the ages of 20 and 59).
One of the most influential ladies of the East
Previously, the princess was a member of the advisory board of the World Bank for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. In 2014, she deservedly joined the list of 200 most influential Arab women, according to Forbes magazine.
How the princess was appointed ambassador
On 23 February 2019, Her Highness Rome was appointed Ambassador to the United States by decree of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud, who is acting king during the trip of the reigning monarch Salman to Egypt for the Arab League-European Union summit. It is assumed that in this way Saudi Arabia wants to settle the diplomatic conflict with the United States. The princess will replace King Salman's son, Prince Khaled, in Washington, DC, who has served as ambassador since 2017.
In the footsteps of his father
At one time, Rima's father Prince Bandar was a friend of President George W. Bush. For his strong relationship with the US leader, some even jokingly called him "Bandar Bush." Many American political observers spoke of the prince as the chief architect of the Bush administration's Middle East policy. From 2005 to 2015, Bandar served as secretary general of the National Security Council of Saudi Arabia, but since 2010 he has hardly appeared in public. From July 2014 to January 2015 he served as the King's special envoy.
Family status
The Princess of Rome was married to Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser, the son of a member of the House of Saudis Turki bin Nasser Al Saudi. The son of Turka and daughter Sarah were born in the marriage. In 2012, the couple divorced.
Photo: Getty Images
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