Coverage by Noura Al‑Huwaity – Al‑Riyadh Newspaper
Her Royal Highness Princess Nouf bint Abdulaziz Al Saud sponsored the ceremony marking the release of the illustrated biography of King Saud, may God have mercy on him, along with its accompanying photo exhibition, on Saturday evening at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. The event was attended by a large gathering of invited guests, including princesses, wives of ambassadors, and several academics. The ceremony was organized and coordinated by the daughters and granddaughters of King Saud.
The event began with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Princess Areej bint Al‑Waleed bin Badr bin Saud, a granddaughter of King Saud. This was followed by a speech delivered by HRH Princess Seeta bint Saud, who welcomed Princess Nouf and all attendees, and expressed gratitude for the support and patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, and HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Next, HRH Princess Fahda bint Saud delivered a speech in which she explained that preparations for this historic project began four years earlier. She said:
“When we began preparing the illustrated book on the life of our late father, King Saud bin Abdulaziz, the second King of Saudi Arabia, we possessed none of the resources needed to complete such a work. The photographs were covered in dust in archives and drawers—some deteriorated, others faded to the point that their features were nearly lost. The renowned Brazilian photographer Umberto da Salveira restored and processed the images using the latest global techniques. I undertook the second task: preparing the historical text for the book and contributing to the identification of the photographs, which were collected from the sons, daughters, and grandchildren of King Saud, as well as from those close to him and those who loved him, in addition to Saudi, Arab, and international libraries and archives.”
Princess Fahda added that this step required extensive effort and research in old books, newspapers, and scattered magazines, but the strong desire to accomplish the project and the perseverance to realize this dream overcame all difficulties.
When the time came to publish the book, the brothers and sisters contributed to its funding, with the largest contribution coming from HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, during the reign of their late father, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. She expressed her deep gratitude to him.
She also thanked all who contributed to the project: the sons, daughters, and grandchildren of King Saud; Turath Publishing and its founder HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Prince Faisal bin Salman, Chairman of the Saudi Research and Publishing Group; Dr. Zahir Othman, Executive Director of Turath; Dr. Fahd Al‑Samari, Secretary‑General of the King Abdulaziz Foundation; historian Abdulrahman Al‑Ruwaished; Dr. Abdullah Al‑Saud, Director of the National Museum; Sheikh Waleed Al‑Ibrahim; Dr. Saad Al‑Rashed; Dr. Mohammed Al‑Ruwaished; Engineer Tariq Al‑Faris; and Rasha Al‑Huwaishan.
She concluded her speech with special thanks to HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh, for sponsoring and supporting the event, and to HRH Princess Nouf bint Abdulaziz, patron of the ceremony.
Afterward, the granddaughters’ speech was delivered by Princess Reem bint Saif Al‑Islam bin Saud. A copy of the book was then presented to HRH Princess Nouf, and another to Princess Hussa Al‑Shaalan, wife of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Princess Nouf then inaugurated the accompanying photo exhibition, which included rare photographs of King Saud as well as more than 50 personal items and gifts that he had presented to his sons and daughters.