Adila bint Abdullah Al Saud ( ar, عادلة بنت عبد الله آل سعود ''ʿAdila bint ʿAbd Allāh Āl Suʿūd'') is a member of the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) 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), an ...

. 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 Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

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

Early life and education

Princess Adila was born in

Beirut, Lebanon Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...

. She is the fifth daughter of King Abdullah. Her mother is

Aida Fustuq Aida Fustuq is a Lebanese woman of Palestinian origin who was one of the former wives of King Abdullah, who ruled Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2015. Biography Aida Fustuq hails from Lebanese Sunni family who are of Palestinian origin. Her br ...

, a Lebanese woman of

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

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, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in the K ...

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 (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

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 is 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 other countries a much greater numb ...

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

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

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

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 (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

and

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. 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 is a tradition and the scarf is a better alternative.

Personal life

Princess Adila is married to her cousin Faisal bin Abdullah in her 20s. Faisal bin Abdullah served as the minister of education from February 2009 to 22 December 2013. Moreover, Faisal is the former deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). They 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 and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Adila Abdullah Adila Adila Adila Adila Adila Living people Adila Adila Year of birth missing (living people)