The most beautiful princess in the Orient: The story of Ameerah, Saudi Arabia’s most coveted woman who changed the fate of Muslim women

Ameera bint Aidan bin Nayef Al-Taweel Al-Otaibi was born on 6 November 1983 is a former Saudi Arabian princess. Born in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to a family of noble origins, the beautiful Ameera became known through her marriage to Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, nephew of former Saudi King Abdulaziz.

She is a philanthropist as well as a fighter for Arab women’s rights. She assumed the role of Vice President of the Al-Waleed bin Talal Foundation and advocated for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

Ameerah studied business administration at the University of New Haven in the United States, but with a passion for writing and journalism, she began working on her school newspaper. She interviewed Prince Al Waleed, 28 years older than her, a dashing, smart and billionaire man who fell in love with her on the spot.

Her father is Aidan bin Nayef Al-Taweel Al-Otaibi. She was raised by her divorced mother and grandparents in Riyadh. At the age of 18, she met Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, a man 28 years her senior. They eventually married in 2008 and later divorced in November 2013. Since her divorce from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, she is no longer a princess, nor does she belong to the royal household of her former husband al Saud. Al-Taweel is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of New Haven with a degree in Business Administration.

Only the beautiful Saudi beauty wasn’t content with the title of princess and trophy wife. She was on a mission: to change the status of women in the Muslim world. She and her husband founded the Al Waleed Foundation, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to poverty alleviation, disaster relief and women’s rights.

Princess Ameera fought for women’s rights in the Orient

In addition, Ameera did not want to wear the Islamic veil, nor did she want to wear a coat that completely covered her: on the contrary, she showed her face every time she appeared in public. Obviously, conservative members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family did not take kindly to the princess’s actions, and even warned that she would be punished if she did not wear the Islamic veil.

Al-Taweel married Emirati billionaire Khalifa bin Butti Al Muhairi in September 2018 in Paris. They have a son together, Zayed, born in 2019.

She is a businesswoman and philanthropist. She was vice president and secretary general of the Al-Waleed bin Talal foundations. Ameera is currently the founder and CEO of TimeAgency, as well as a board member of Silatech, a Qatari social initiative working to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young people across the Arab world.

“In a country like mine, women can’t drive or travel alone. They need their husbands’ permission to have a job. Even women with exemplary education don’t have such a right.”said the Saudi princess.

Her approach to reform is one of “evolution, not revolution”. In her speech, she said:

“People are taking their voices to the streets when they are not heard by their governments. If we want stability in the region, we must build institutions of civil society so that people can channel their demands through these institutions. If we want prosperity in the region, we will have to invest in young people by encouraging enterprise.”

Ameera bint Aidan bin Nayef Al-Taweel Al-Otaibi is president and co-founder of the Tasamy Initiatives Youth Volunteer Center. She has spoken publicly in the US on NBC’s Today, CNN International and NPR, as well as in Time magazine and Foreign Policy Magazine, in support of both women’s rights in Saudi Arabia and the broader issue of women’s overall ability to contribute fully in Saudi society. She was also a speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2011. She has been featured in Newsweek, The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post.

Thanks to her efforts, in June 2018, women in the Saudi kingdom finally received the right to legally drive a vehicle.