Saudi Arabia appoints its first female ambassador to US

Saudi Arabia appointed its first female ambassador early Sunday to serve as its top diplomat in the United States.

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud replaces Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, a son of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

Princess Reema, who studied in America and is known in the kingdom for her philanthropic work, lived in the US during her father’s over 20 years as the Saudi ambassador there. Her father also served as the head of the country’s intelligence service.

Prior to her appointment, she was vice-president of women’s affairs at the General Sports Authority (GSA), a position she held since 2016. She was also named president of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports in 2017 and appointed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in August 2018.