Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud ( ''ʿAdila bint ʿAbd Allāh Āl Suʿūd'') is a member of the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling fa ...

, one of the grandchildren of Saudi's founder

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

. During the reign of her father, King Abdullah, she was one of the women who could influence the political development of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in women-related areas, such as education, employment and health.

Early life and education

Princess Adila was born in

Beirut, Lebanon Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. She is the fifth daughter of King Abdullah. Her mother is Aida Fustuq, a Lebanese woman of

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

descent. Her parents divorced later. Prince Abdulaziz is her full brother. She received a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulalziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in Saudi Arabia. It was known as Riyadh U ...

Activities

Adila bint Abdullah was one of the few Saudi princesses with a semi-public role during the reign of King Abdullah. She acted as the public face of him. She is a known advocate of women's right to drive, women's health awareness and their legal rights. She spoke out against

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

and supported women's groups and organizations. Princess Adila is the patron of many charitable foundations: she is the chair of the National Home Health Care Foundation; the president of the consultative committee of the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

; president of the Sanad Children's Cancer Support Society; and the deputy chair of the National Family Safety Program. Princess Adila also supported the businesswomen of the

Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) is the chamber of commerce in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. JCCI is one of the oldest business and services organizations in Saudi Arabia. It was established by a royal decree dated January 19 ...

. She was also patron of "Saudi Women’s Forum", a women's conference in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

in 2007. She led the Saudi Society for Preservation of Heritage.

Views

Interview with Princess Adila was included in Mona Almunajjed's book entitled ''Saudi Women Speak: 24 Remarkable Women Tell Their Success Stories'', published in 2011 by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

and

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. She stated: "I am only one part of this whole society, and I am presenting my point of view. However, we cannot go back. We need to become more liberal, and we need to change." She believes that wearing the

niqab A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of ...

is a tradition and the scarf is a better alternative.

Personal life

Princess Adila married her cousin Faisal bin Abdullah in her 20s. Faisal bin Abdullah served as the

minister of education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

from February 2009 to 22 December 2013. Moreover, Faisal is the former deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). Adila and Faisal have six children, two sons and four daughters. One of their daughters is a graduate of King's College in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Adila Abdullah 20th-century Saudi Arabian women 20th-century Saudi Arabian people 21st-century Saudi Arabian women 21st-century Saudi Arabian people Adila Adila Abdullah King Saud University alumni Living people Saudi Arabian people of Lebanese descent Saudi Arabian people of Palestinian descent Year of birth missing (living people) Saudi Arabian women's rights activists Saudi Arabian women activists People from Beirut Saudi Arabian philanthropists Daughters of kings