We need to do better in showing who we really are, admits diplomat
Uk-raised prince and new Saudi envoy sees challenge ahead in promoting his ever-transforming country
For someone who has endured the rigours of military training at Sandhurst, the newly appointed Saudi ambassador to Britain has the qualities needed to mount a robust defence of his country’s interests.
The experience of being an officer cadet at Sandhurst in the Nineties has certainly left an indelible mark on Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the new Saudi ambassador to London.
“Anyone who has undergone any military training will tell you it can often be a trying time,” he recalls.
“[The] experiences shape you and make you who you are. They also teach you that if there is a problem, there is a solution.”
Since taking up his position as Saudi ambassador to London last year, he has had more than his fair share of problems to deal with, usually with no easy solutions on offer.
On the Jamal Khashoggi affair, the ambassador is unequivocal in condemning the journalist’s murder. Speaking in his first British newspaper interview since his appointment, he said: “There is no question that the events in Istanbul were a stain on our society, our country and our culture.”
As for the hacking of the phone of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, he argued: “It is very easy for people to throw these unsubstantiated allegations against Saudi Arabia because they know that it is very difficult for Riyadh to defend itself when it does not have proper access to the details.
“We need to see the evidence before we make any response, because the evidence made public so far is circumstantial at best.
“In Saudi we do not always represent ourselves very well because we are a reticent people and our culture does not push us to talking about ourselves. We need to do a better job in showing who we really are.”
The dynamic 42-year-old has impeccable credentials for his current position, having spent much of his childhood at the Saudi embassy in Washington, where his father, Prince Bandar, was his country’s long-serving ambassador. He is also well-versed in the more elite institutions of British society, having been educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Oxford before going to Sandhurst. In his bachelor days, he dated the actress and model Vanessa Haydon, who later married Donald Trump Jr, and is now himself married to Lucy, the niece of the 12th Duke of Northumberland.
He has decidedly mixed emotions about his privileged English upbringing. “No experience comes without highs and lows,” he recalls. “I remember arriving at boarding school in
‘In Saudi we do not always represent ourselves very well because we are a reticent people’
England and being asked all kinds of questions – did I have camels? Was my life like Coming to America?”
Nevertheless, he believes the experience helped him to acquire a profound understanding of Britain.
“The experience of living abroad showed me that while we may have different cultural backgrounds, as humans we are all fundamentally the same. My experience in the UK has given me a unique knowledge of the country. I have spent some of the formative years of my life here so I feel I know it well. I have a British wife and two half-british daughters. It is almost a second home for me.
“The UK is one of our oldest allies in the West. One of the first countries we had dealings with following the creation of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was Britain.”
One of Prince Khalid’s main tasks as ambassador will be to lobby the British to take a hard line on Iran. Riyadh is a fierce critic of the nuclear deal signed with Tehran in 2015 as it does not address other issues, such as Iran’s activities elsewhere.
“Iran’s meddling in the region is as challenging as the nuclear programme,” he explained. “This is why we were concerned with the nuclear deal, because it did not address all the other things that Iran was doing in the region. We do not seek conflict. We do not seek escalation. We have always been supporters of taking a firm stand against Iran. Our issue is not with the people of Iran, it is with the regime running the country. But we do not believe in appeasement. At no point in history has appeasement proved to be a successful strategy. You cannot give in to a country like Iran because they will see it as a sign of weakness.”
The other important issue will be to promote the dramatic changes taking place in his country as part of the wholesale economic and social reforms known as Vision 2030.
“The biggest challenge at the moment is domestic,” he said. “We are trying to radically change the quality of life for ordinary Saudis for the better. These are very ambitious aims. It is a very ambitious programme, but I think we are up to it.”