'Death of a Princess': Adultery and execution in Saudi Arabia

'Death of a Princess': Adultery and execution in Saudi Arabia


In 1980, a drama was screened in the UK which was to reshape perceptions of Saudi Arabia, a key Middle East ally. 

Death of a Princess followed the short life of Princess Mishael, a 19-year-old Saudi princess who was publicly executed, along with her lover, after she was caught attempting to flee the kingdom and then confessed to the affair. 

With the story Saudi runaway Rahaf al-Qunun recently making headlines, it has been a stark reminder that the issues raised in the documentary-drama Death of a Princess remain relevant today.

Princess Mishael's execution is said to have led to the establishment of Saudi Arabia's strict guardianship rules, which forbids Saudi women from leaving the country without the permission of a male guardian.


The fall-out over the execution of Princess Mishael covered by this documentary resulted in the threat of economic sanctions by Riyadh and the expulsion of the British ambassador from Saudi Arabia.

The New Arab interviewed Anthony Thomas, the English documentary filmmaker, director and author, whose interviews formed the basis of this movie, to better understand what had happened then and to gain his perspective on what has changed since.


The New Arab: What sort of life did Princess Mishael lead, and what kind of person was she?

Anthony Thomas: She was a palace princess – like a lot of them – and led an empty life watching videos or reading magazines. There were days sometimes didn't start until five in the afternoon.


She obviously had a very strong personality and took considerable risks, but palace life was as described by Rosemarie Buschow – who was working out there as a nanny for the baby cousin of Mishael – as an idle place where a lot of time was wasted. It wasn't a very inspiring environment.

There are multiple versions of this story, all very, very different. What makes you sure that your version is the true account?

I am absolutely sure, picking our way through all these very different versions, I am absolutely sure that she wasn't tried in an Islamic court.

 I am certain that the reason she was executed in a sort of waste ground in front of the hotel, where the English carpenter was living, and not in a normal place where executions took place, is that her grandfather insisted on this punishment and it didn't take place in the same location as other executions do in Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.

Thanks for reading.

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