My fond memories of Saudi royal birth
IN 1985, I went to work as a nurse in a military hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for two years. I was on the surgical ward of the military hospital, which housed two royal suites, and the wife of Prince Salman was one of my patients after giving birth to Prince Mohammed, now the Crown Prince, who has been visiting London. The day after the birth, the water supply to the hospital was cut off after a lorry fractured the water main. We managed to fill a few buckets of water, one of which I placed in the Princess’s bathroom. When I went to check on her, I was just in time to prevent her mother using the precious water to wash the Princess’s hair — I explained it was for another use! The air conditioning had stopped and gradually the temperature inside the suite rose. her mother, who was furiously fanning herself, asked me how I was managing to dash about in the heat. I took her into the staff kitchen, where we had a large fridge. I put a chair in front of the open door and invited her to cool off. Later Prince Salman came to visit. he had ordered a portable AC unit be brought in from the palace, but it needed to be fitted with a transformer. Two electricians came to sort it, but when after 20 minutes they were still wiring the plugs, I said I could have done it quicker myself. The Prince heard and asked if that was true. I told him that before training as a nurse, I had worked as a school laboratory technician and so was well able to wire a transformer. he summoned his servants to bring two chairs and tea, and for 20 minutes we talked. he told me that he was fascinated by science and technology. I was then given a silk gown to dress the new Prince. At the end of my shift, I was summoned to the royal suite and presented with a generous tip and a bottle of perfume as a gift from the baby. When my colleagues asked what I had done to deserve such a gift, I said: ‘Shouting at the Princess’s mother for wasting water, putting her in a fridge, drinking mint tea and talking about science with the Prince!’ When I read about Crown Prince Mohammed’s forward-thinking, I was heartened that the ancient laws governing women in Saudi Arabia might be relaxed. I really loved my experience in the kingdom and think about my role in the Crown Prince’s first days with great affection.