The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan

How often do you come across a book with two forewords ? Or to make the question still more interesting…how often do you come across a book with two forewords and that too written by Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher? Well, The Prince, the story of an illegitimate grandson of the founder of the modern Saud Dynast Ibn Saud and his half Yemeni- half Kuwaiti servant girl is one such book.In the shadowy world of the Saud dynasty, one never remembers the children of Abdul Aziz who have been ruling possibly one of the richest nations in the world, the founder and his children who have been ruling the country never make the news. Whether it was Abdul Aziz – the founding father of the modern Saudi Arabia which rose from the ashes of the crumbling Ottoman dynasty or his children later – King Saud, King Faisal, King Fahd, King Abdullah or Salman…they were all understated low profile kings – ruling the country with an iron-hand. It is the trusted allies of the king – more often than not related to the dynasty – well educated – comfortable with the Western idiom and who can seamlessly transition between being a Saudi and a Westerner. Some of us remember Ahmed Zaki Yamani – the oil minister who was a mover and shaker in managing the oil prices across the world, later it was Prince Bandar – our protagonist and currently it is Al Waleed Bin Talal who possibly has an economic interest in most of the large American corporations, the press and also the hospitality industry.The oil and the power that comes with it, the vulnerability of being surrounded by latent communist regimes initially and later by hostile nations like Iran and other nations which are hotbeds of terrorism, the responsibility that the kings assumed as the custodians of Mecca – Madina and the navigation of this role in the Muslim World, the nurturing and management of one of the most unusual and complex political relationships – with United States – These are all fascinating stories read in the backdrop of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq war which left millions dead, the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, the emergence of Israel in the middle of the Arab World and at a later date , recalibrating relationships in the Post 9/11 World.Prince Bandar held center stage for over 2 decades and was on buddy terms with the Reagans, Bushes, Thatchers, all the Arab monarchs and who straddled between Washington / all the major capitals of the Western world – which was his theater of action and Riyadh, which was his source of power.The rise and rise of an illegitimate son (who was later declared ‘legit’ by one of those strange procedures which is only possible in Saudi Arabia ) and his transition from an air force pilot to an attaché to the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia and his ultimate role as the power broker par excellence who ensured that the Saudis got the right piece of cake in all events is a fascinating story to read.I have a feeling that this is a sponsored book. Written by William Simpson, his class mate from Cramwell days where he was trained to be a fighter pilot – the book is indulgent at times on Bandar and almost makes him out to be the superman, loyal Saudi, faithful executor of all that King Fahd and Abdullah wanted to be done. It glosses over the Iran contra-affair, the arming of Saudi Arabia with Chinese defense systems, the rotten world of civil liberties and the mysterious ways of the kingdom……well overlook these and you have an interesting story on the Saudi dynasty, the relationship with US / Western world and the man who played with aplomb between the 80s till the first decade of the 21st century.Interestingly like Yamani who held center stage before and went mysteriously into the dog house – so is the fate of Prince Bandar. ( BTW…where is he ? Is he alive? God only knows).Surprisingly well written for a first time author – read it if the Middle East fascinates you.