Royal Family of Saudi Arabia Current Events and General News Chat

PrincessOfPeace · July 23, 2020, 11:24:41 PM

The King of Saudi Arabia, 84-year-old Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has undergone gallbladder surgery after being admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre earlier this week for inflammation of the organ.

The state news agency, SPA, reported that the surgery was successful, and the King is recovering well. He will remain in the Riyadh hospital for some time to recover from the operation and to receive treatments post-surgery as advised by his medical team.

King of Saudi Arabia undergoes gallbladder surgery ? Royal Central

PrincessOfPeace · November 19, 2020, 03:10:40 PM

Wealthy Saudi princes were tortured, blackmailed and ordered to hand over money from Swiss bank deposits on the night of the beating three years ago when crown prince Mohammed bin Salman purged the Saudi elite, according to a new account.

More: How Saudi princes were tortured and blackmailed in 2017 purge | Daily Mail Online

PrincessOfPeace · April 06, 2021, 07:20:03 PM

Saudi Prince sells Cotswold country pile to King of Bahrain for ?120million

Blue Clover · April 06, 2021, 07:54:13 PM

That's a massive estate!

PrincessOfPeace · May 08, 2021, 11:46:50 AM

Pics: Editorial Photos, Celebrity, News, & Sports Images | Shutterstock Editorial

Macrobug67 · June 03, 2021, 05:14:17 AM

That must of been fun for the staff <_<

Back in the 90s I worked in Riyadh. We had a Saudi princess come in to the ER. It turned the entire place upside down....for a simple bladder infection. And I was the only ?white ? nurse on that day (racism was alive and well then) so I was assigned to her.

She slept the entire afternoon. So I sat and monitored her. And chatted with her daughter who was thrilled to talk to a Canadian. She was in love with Canada. I got an invite to her palace and I would have taken her up on it except I was leaving in a few weeks.

So that was my only brush with Royalty. :laugh:

TLLK · June 03, 2021, 01:43:04 PM

And your brush with royalty lasted longer than most people's @Macrobug67 ! I have a few questions about that experience that I'd love to ask you.

Macrobug67 · June 03, 2021, 04:36:14 PM

25 years ago! May not remember :old:

TLLK · June 05, 2021, 01:39:52 PM

What did your hospital uniform look like and did you have to adhere to local customs pertaining to female clothing in your work and free time life? Did you have a driver and did a man have to accompany you everywhere that you went?

Macrobug67 · June 05, 2021, 03:29:53 PM

Horrible slapped together white trousers and tunic. The tiny little man who made them was horrified at my measurement. ( I was a size 16). The trousers were simple 2 piece with lumpy elastic waist and a quick hem. The type of pant you whip together in 20 min. The tunic had sleeves that were 5/8 length. The sleeves stopped about 3 inches above my wrist. The material was not scotchguarded and absorbed every stain. So I bleached them all the time. They looked pretty bad after a year. And they were baggy. So not exactly flattering.

I wore an abaya outside. Mine was a cheap one because I refused to spend money on it. I usually just wore undies underneath. Or a loose skirt. I had made some long skirts before I went. Simple circle ones that worked very well. I had some trousers l had made but After a very unfortunate episode in a public bathroom that just had holes in the floor for toilets, I just wore the skirts. I also avoided those type of bathrooms :lol:

I always had a scarf. Often I did not wear it but if the muttaween (religious police) told me to, I would. If I was going certain places I would just wear it- the souq, the grocery story that was the training grounds for the wee newbie muttaween ( whose voices squeaked when telling you to cover your head, woman. :laugh:). I had a friend who was quite imaginative with the scarf. She would wear it movie star style, sometimes a great big straw hat with the scarf wrapped around it then draped down over her neck. I wore a Canadian toque in the winter. We looked ridiculous. But we had fun.

We went to the shops and souqs. Lots of parties and get together. One you got over the idea that just by existing as a woman, I was breaking their laws. So I followed my own moral code.

No driver. No car. But we had a hospital bus that picked us up and delivered us. And there were organized events by the hospital. A friend dated then married a Saudi man. He supplied a driver and car for her and so she took us everywhere.

They took our passports and supplied papers. I had a copy of my passport and took another copy to the Canadian embassy. I had an ace up my sleeve. My cousin was very very high up in the Canadian government in the Immigration sector. So she had had a chat with the embassy and they reached out to me. If I had been arrested or whatnot, I had protection. Also, my parents are friends with our local member of parliament who, at the time had a major political role. As I said, I was protected.

It was an interesting year. I was very homesick and wanted to be home. But it was an experience I don?t regret.