Basmah bint Saud
Introduction
Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born March 1, 1964) is a Saudi princess, businesswoman, and human rights advocate. She is one of the youngest children of King Saud and the youngest daughter from his many offspring. Over recent years, she has gained wider international attention because of her vocal criticism of certain Saudi policies and her detention from 2019 to 2022.
Early Life & Family
-
Birth & parentage: She was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 1, 1964.
-
Mother: Her mother was Jamila Merhi (née Jamila bint Asad Ibrahim Marei), who was of Syrian origin.
-
Basmah was born in the final months of her father King Saud’s reign; because of palace changes, she only saw her father twice, around age 5 (the year he died).
-
Childhood in Beirut & exile: Part of her childhood was spent in Beirut, Lebanon. Due to the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, she and her mother relocated to the UK and the U.S.
-
Education:
• In Beirut, she attended a French school.
• In the UK, she studied at a girls’ school in Hertfordshire and a college in London.
• She also studied in Switzerland for two years.
• Later, she pursued degrees in sociology, social economics, and political science at various institutions. -
From 2010 onward, she has been based in Acton, London, England.
Personal Life & Business Activities
Marriage & Children
-
In 1988, she married Shuja bin Nami bin Shahin Al Sharif, a member of the Al Sharif family.
-
The marriage ended in divorce in 2007.
-
She is the mother of five children: three daughters and two sons (Saud, Sara, Samahir, Suhoud, and Ahmad)
Business & Media Ventures
-
After her divorce, Basmah founded a chain of restaurants in Saudi Arabia, with intent to expand internationally, e.g. into the UK.
-
In 2008, she established a media company Media Ecco, and also a catering business.
-
She has positioned herself as a supporter of emerging Saudi women’s enterprises and has participated in conferences on women’s roles in society.
Advocacy, Controversy & Detention
Views & Reform Advocacy
-
Basmah has expressed moderate reformist views about Saudi society, especially regarding women’s rights, governance, and religious policing.
-
She has publicly questioned the legitimacy of state institutions that enforce virtue and vice, and criticized abuses by religious police.
-
In media interviews, she has called for constitutional reforms, more oversight, and more autonomy for women in Saudi society.
Arrest & Imprisonment
-
In March 2019, armed men arrested Princess Basmah and her daughter Souhoud Al Sharif as they attempted to travel to Switzerland for medical treatment.
-
She was held for years in Al-Ha’ir Prison without formal public charges.
-
During her detention, she suffered from health issues (including osteoporosis, cardiac problems), and her family claimed she was denied proper medical care.
-
On 6 January 2022, she and her daughter were released and returned to Jeddah.
-
The circumstances of her arrest, detention, and release remain opaque, with limited explanation from Saudi authorities.
Legacy & Significance
Princess Basmah bint Saud represents a rare voice from within the Saudi royal circle advocating for reform, transparency, and greater freedoms—especially for women. Her story brings into focus:
-
The tensions between royal privilege and accountability
-
The constraints on dissent and expression even for royals
-
The role of women in evolving Saudi society
-
The risks faced by those inside power structures who push for change
Though her public influence was curtailed during her detention, her release renewed attention to her ideas and to the broader question of reform in Saudi Arabia.