Last month, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) made an opulent trip to Europe after a four-year enforced hiatus, and he’s making up for lost time and expenses.
Mohammed Bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, visited Greece and France for the first time since becoming an international pariah in October 2018 following the murder of Middle East Eye and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
Seven Aircrafts, 350 Limousines
In Athens, home to milennia-old extravagant marble structures dedicated to ancient gods and kings, it was the crown prince who was leaving no stone unturned on opulence and detail.
He landed in the Greek capital on Tuesday with a delegation of 700 people who arrived on seven aircraft, according to a report by local publisher iefimerida.
One of the planes was empty, in case anything urgent was needed, while another was converted into a makeshift hospital.
The crown prince’s security staff reportedly comprised 185 of the entourage, of whom 70 were employed to check cars and venues.
The Saudis employed the services of 350 limousines, so many that the vehicles had to be imported from Bulgaria and Germany.
Most of the delegation stayed at the Four Seasons in Vouliagmeni on the Athenian riviera, to which they brought their own crockery, cutlery and bed linen to ensure the fearful crown prince did not have to use anything unfamiliar to him.
Those responsible for the de-facto leader’s clothes, shoes and personal belongings turned up to the hotel with 180 suitcases.
The Fear of Being Killed
A special order arrived for bulletproof glass panes, which were installed with a giant crane in the suite Bin Salman has taken over, the Crown Prince taking no chances.
The Greek newspaper Iefimerida said he had 185 bodyguards, including 70 to check cars and roads, and was so afraid of being poisoned he wouldn’t eat outside the luxurious Four Seasons hotel in Vougliameni where he stayed – except for a Head of State dinner at the Acropolis Museum.
World’s Most Expensive Palace
During his trip to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) stayed at a lavish chateau dubbed “the world’s most expensive home” when he purchased it in 2015.
The Chateau Louis XIV in Louveciennes outside Paris is a new-build mansion intended to mimic the extravagant luxury of the nearby Versailles Palace, once the seat of the French royal family.
The 7,000-square-metre property was bought by an undisclosed buyer in 2015 for 275 million euros ($300 million at the time), leading Fortune magazine to call it “the world’s most expensive home.”
In a twist of history, the Chateau Louis XIV was built by Khashoggi’s cousin Emad Khashoggi who runs a luxury property development business in France.
The chateau features a nightclub, a gold-leafed fountain, a cinema, as well as an underwater glass chamber in the moat that resembles a giant aquarium with white leather sofas.
Maldives Secret Party
In 2015, Saudi Crown Prince had hosted a secret party in the Maldives which was attended by nearly 150 women models.
MBS arrived at the resort only after the models were tested and found safe from sexually transmitted diseases.
According to The Print, the models had arrived from Brazil or Russia to Male, the capital of the Maldives.
Only after the women were tested for sexually transmitted diseases in a medical center and settled into their villas, did the seaplanes carrying Mohammed bin Salman and his friends arrive.
To maintain his privacy, staff were not allowed smartphones and only allowed to keep a Nokia 3310 phone.
