Saudi Arabia made history in February when it appointed Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud as its first female ambassador to any country. That country is the United States.
Princess Reema is deeply entrenched in the Saudi royal family. She’s the great-granddaughter of the country’s founder, Ibn Saud, and a cousin of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
The appointment comes at a time of strained relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia -- over the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and MBS’ crackdown on dissidents (even within his own family).