Nasser Al-Rashid
Nasser al-Rashid (born 1939) is a Saudi Arabian businessman. He is reputedly an influential advisor to the Saudi royal family and a billionaire. However he is not included in the Forbes list of the world's richest people as his personal wealth, like that of many Saudi insiders, cannot be assessed with much accuracy from publicly available information.
Al-Rashid completed his B.S. at the University of Texas in 1965, and his PhD at the university in 1970. He has since remained a prominent donor to the University of Texas, and has been honoured by the university at its Distinquished Alumnus Awards ceremony.[1] The Dr. Nasser Al-Rashid Strength and Training Center at the university is named in his honour. He is also a large donor to the University of Miami (FL) and its medical school. He owns one of the largest yachts in the world, the Lady Moura, which reportedly cost him over US$200 mm to build in the late 1980s. In March 1987 Al-Rashid was one of the guests at a state banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for King Fahd at Buckingham Palace.[2]
His previous wife, Mouna Ayoub, a Lebanese woman, is considered to be a French socialite. Ayoub subsequently wrote a memoir of their marriage, La vérité (The Truth), in which Al-Rashid is referred to as "Amir al-Tharik".[3] In the memoir Ayoub likened her marriage to a "...a gilded cage where I felt myself to be unjustly treated and powerless...I was given the most sumptuous dresses and amassed a huge collection of jewels, yet I could only wear my black Arab robe and a veil. I was forbidden to speak to men, forbidden to see female friends not approved by my husband, forbidden to play sport, forbidden to laugh, or speak loudly in public." Al-Rashid and his eldest son with Ayoub subsequently sued the publishers of the memoir in the French courts to try and stop publication of the memoir, alleging a breach of their privacy.[4]
He is currently married to his wife Safia El Malqui, they have been together since early 1998. Not much is known publicly of al-Rashid, who prior to taking delivery of his yacht, maintained a relatively low profile among the wealthy Saudi elite.
Al-Rashid was one of three Saudi Arabian businessmen to donate over $1 million to the Clinton Presidential Center.[5]
Trivia
- On Saturday 19 May 2007, one of his yachts, Lady Moura, nearly ran aground by the Cannes coastline during the film festival, where it suffered hull damage and took on water. It was moored in Monaco. On 2 February 2010 Lady Moura was moored in Palma, Majorca, however it has since returned to Monaco.[6]
References
- ↑ Emmis Communications (March 1992). The Alcalde. Emmis Communications. pp. 19–. ISSN 1535-993X.
- ↑ "Court Circular". The Times (62725). 25 March 1987. p. 16. Retrieved 13 November 2015 – via The Times Digital Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Sameer Reddy (24 October 2015). "Petro Dollies". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Jon Henley (20 June 2000). "Style victim blames it all on Saudis". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ "Distant donors". The Times (69486). 20 November 2008. p. 48. Retrieved 13 November 2015 – via The Times Digital Archive. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Mer : Un énorme yacht s'échoue en baie de Cannes - France