The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan

A riveting portrait of one of the most enigmatic yet influential powerbrokers in America, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States from 1983-2005. As the illegitimate son of a Saudi prince and a servant girl, Prince Bandar overcame his unrecognized beginnings to rise as one of Saudi Arabia's brightest diplomatic stars, ultimately becoming the Ambassador to the United States and one of the most influential men in Washington. As Ambassador, Prince Bandar worked with CIA Director Bill Casey to fund covert CIA operations with Saudi petrodollars. He played a key role in the Iran-Contra affair; consulted with President Gorbachev to secure Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan; negotiated an end to the Iran-Iraq war; and with Nelson Mandela, resolved the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Affair. He served under four different American presidencies and was called "Washington's indispensable operator" by the New Yorker. In this biography, RAF college friend and fellow pilot William Simpson pulls back the curtain for the first time on his fascinating life. With a preface by Nelson Mandela and a foreword by Margaret Thatcher, this biography of Prince Bandar is sure to become the definitive work on the engimatic Prince behind the White House.

“"The perfect bridge between the reclusive Desert Kingdom and the anything-goes character of the United States."”

"Simpson's revelations, however, have use for readers seeking a view of how Washington really works."--Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended."--Martin Sieff, Washington Times "A refreshingly different diplomat--not-ideological, highly pragmatic."--Henry Siegman, executive director of the American Jewish Congress "In this account, Bandar plays his role with as much aplomb as the infamous Machiavelli, but with far more humanity."--Publishers Weekly "A man of principle, a diplomat of astonishing caliber, and one of the great peacemakers of our time."--Nelson Mandela "Flamboyant, dramatic, personable, smart, canny and probably manipulative."--General Brent Scowcroft --Mark Matthews, Baltimore Sun "...an exceptionally valuable and sympathetic, but nuanced and fair portrait of this remarkable man."--Martin Sieff, Washington Times

William Simpson was a classmate of Prince Bandar at the British Royal Air Force College, where they became friends through a mutual interest in fencing over the two and a half years of their officer training. Simpson founded and was CEO of an Internet company, and also worked with a Mayfair-based hedge fund as President of North American Operations. After his retirement from the world of financial services, Simpson undertook this biography with the cooperation of Prince Bandar and his wife. Simpson lives in the Channel Islands.

At a time when understanding our friends is as important as understanding our enemies, Prince Bandar bin Sultan remains one America's most enigmatic powerbrokers. As the illegitimate son of a Saudi prince and a servant girl, Prince Bandar overcame his unrecognized beginnings to rise as one of Saudi Arabia's brightest diplomatic stars, ultimately becoming the Ambassador to the United States-and one of the most influential men in Washington. As Ambassador, Prince Bandar worked with CIA Director Bill Casey to fund covert CIA operations with Saudi petrodollars. He played a key role in the Iran-Contra affair; consulted with President Gorbachev to secure Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan; negotiated an end to the Iran-Iraq war; and, with Nelson Mandela, resolved the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Affair. He served under four different American presidencies and was called "Washington's indispensable operator" by the New Yorker. Yet Prince Bandar was more than this. His entry into Washington society and the Oval Office was unmatched. George H.W. Bush took the Prince and his family on fishing vacations; First Lady Reagan used him to convey messages to her husband's Cabinet; Colin Powell would drop by his house to play racquetball. During the first Gulf War, Prince Bandar even became a de facto member of the National Security Council. In this biography, RAF college classmate William Simpson pulls back the curtain for the first time on the fascinating and startling life of the man who emerged throughout the 1980s and '90s as the most powerful and influential ambassador to the United States since World War II.

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