The appointment of Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan by royal decree came amid strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States over the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul in October. Princess Reema will replace Prince Khalid bin Salman, a son of King Salman and a younger brother of the crown prince, who took the post in 2017. Also in a royal decree Saturday, Prince Khalid was named deputy defence minister under the crown prince, who heads the ministry. Since his father ascended to the throne in 2015, Crown Prince Mohammed has pushed for vast changes in Saudi Arabia. In addition to representing the new possibilities now available for Saudi women, Princess Reema is the daughter of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a towering figure in Saudi diplomacy who served as the kingdom’s ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005.

Source: bd News24 February 24, 2019 06:45 UTC