Meetings with monarchs may be an everyday occurrence for Britain's Prince Charles, but on his visit to Saudi Arabia last must month he should have been careful not to let slip the customary words "your majesty." King Abdullah doesn't like it.
He may be the majestic ruler of one of the richest countries, commanding 25 percent of the world's known oil reserves, but Abdullah regards his kingly title as secondary to his religious one.
Since he came to the throne last August, courtiers and visiting dignitaries have had to accustom themselves to a longer form of address: "O guardian of the Two Holy Shrines." It is as if Britain's Queen Elizabeth II were constantly referred to as "defender of the faith" -- an idea that Charles himself might well approve of.
King Abdullah takes religion seriously -- more so than many of the Saudi royals -- and his responsibilities for Mecca and Medina, the twin cradles of Islam, stretch far beyond the borders of his kingdom, giving him a claim to temporal leadership of a billion Muslims around the world.
It is no surprise that he chose an Islamic summit, last December, to launch his first big foreign policy initiative -- a plan to revitalize the Organization of the Islamic Conference and turn it into a vehicle for combating extremism and poverty throughout the Muslim world.
King Abdullah inherited the throne last August at a fortuitous time, with al-Qaeda militants apparently at bay and oil prices high.
This has provided for a 20 percent leap in government spending and a 15 percent pay rise for all public servants, their first in 10 years. The latest budget also allocated US$6.8 billion for new education projects which should help to divert more students from religious studies into subjects that prepare them better for employment.
At the same time, King Abdullah has been trimming princes' allow-ances and asking questions about others on the royal payroll.
The days when king and court would decamp to Marbella for the summer have probably gone, too.
King Abdullah cultivates an image of ordinariness. "He is the closest route between two points -- a straight line," said his son-in-law, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah. "The way he perceives things is very straightforward."
His body language is equally straightforward, according to those who know him well. When he's happy and relaxed, he tucks the side-flaps of his gutra-headdress up and out of the way.
During his first one-to-one meeting with US President George W. Bush, a small crowd waited apprehensively outside, but the moment King Abdullah emerged they knew all was well. "It went OK," one of them whispered.
"You can see his ears."
Though straightforward is the word most often used to describe him, it is not always meant as a compliment. One way of explaining his apparent rapport with Bush is that both men favor simple solutions to complex problems. He reads little and responds emotionally, rather than intellectually, to events.
"He's a thoroughly nice bloke," said a Riyadh-based diplomat who asked not to be named. "He talks in big generalizations. King Fahd (his predecessor) was more savvy and cosmopolitan but King Abdullah is not stupid. He makes few gaffes, but then doesn't say much off script either." In audiences with Saudi digni-taries he repeats the same phrases endlessly, praising the greatness of their tribe -- whichever it happens to be -- and thanking them for their loyalty. The sheikhs lap it up and think well of him.
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