His son-in-law Prince Faisal, who combines his work as an intelligence chief with amateur photography, took many pictures of King Abdullah's daily life as crown prince, and published a collection of them in a book.
They portray a rather homely man swigging from a can of Diet 7-Up, teasing his youngest children, wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt, scrabbling for truffles in the desert with a long-handled trowel and playing the French game of boules (which he is always allowed to win).
"Look at this," said Prince Faisal, pointing to a shot of King Abdullah strolling with his entourage. "I ran in front of him to take the picture. I said `I want to get the right pose' -- and he put his tongue out." When asked for approval to include it in the book, King Abdullah shrugged. He rejected only one picture, where the hang of his thobe (traditional robe) made him look too fat, Prince Faisal said.
Most observers agree that the king has reforming instincts but, at 81, there are doubts about how far he will push them. Because of King Fahd's long illness, King Abdullah had been de facto ruler for a decade when he inherited the throne. Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi security adviser, argues that Fahd's death has freed his hand to speed up the process of change. "Before, there was always this thing that he had to be careful -- `I'm crown prince, but Fahd is king.' Now, it's basically his reign," he said.
Others are more sceptical. Although he has opened up debate about the kingdom's problems, there is little sign that King Abdullah intends to challenge the religious principles that lie at the core of an archaic system.
Abdullah of Arabia:
Born: Riyadh, 1923 or 1924. One of 42 sons of King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia
Education: Schooled in Saudi royal court, receiving traditional Islamic education emphasizing religion and history
Family: Has reputedly had more than 30 wives, not all at the same time. He has at least 15 sons and 20 daughters
Career: Commander of Saudi Arabia's national guard; second deputy prime minister, 1975; crown prince, 1982. Acting ruler after King Fahd suffered stroke in 1995. Proclaimed king, Aug. 1, 2005
Interests: Religion, television, winning at boules
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
RSS