SAUDI APPOINTS A FIRST FEMALE AMBASSADOR
Saudi Arabia appointed its first female to
serve as an ambassador for the kingdom Saturday, naming Princess Reema bint
Bandar Al Saud to be ambassador to the United States.
The
princess, a member of the Saudi royal family, has been an advocate for women's
rights in the kingdom and widely seen as a rising political star in the
country. She will replace Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's younger brother,
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Princess
Reema lived in Washington from roughly 1975 to 2005, according to a person
close to her, while her father, Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, was Saudi's
ambassador to the US and as she attended George Washington University. Princess
Reema has two teenaged children.
A
person close to the princess told CNN that her appointment predates the murder
of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, but she will take her post as the
country tries to smooth relations with the US after much criticism surrounding
the journalist's murder in Turkey at the Saudi consulate. Soon after
Khashoggi's disappearance, Saudi officials denied any involvement, but sources
tell CNN the CIA assessed with high confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi's murder. Saudi Arabia acknowledged
Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in Turkey, though they say a Saudi
intelligence chief ordered the mission. In December, the US Senate passed a
resolution condemning bin Salman.
Princess
Reema currently works with the Saudi General Sports Authority and has worked to
promote women in sports in the kingdom through initiatives focused on inclusion
and encouraging more active lifestyles. She worked with the Ministry of
Education to ensure physical education for girls in schools and championed a
gender integrated team to the Special Olympics. She also worked in the private
sector -- as CEO at Harvey Nichols Riyad and co-founder of Yibreen, a series of
day spas in Riyad.
The
Saudi royal has also actively praised Prince bin Salman for pushing for reform
in the country. In 2018, she commended the Saudi government for lifting the ban
on women driving and allowing women to enter sport stadiums.
She
told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in June, "Yes—we would've liked to see it
sooner, but the fact that we are doing it today for me, absolutely, it's
wonderful."
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