King Fahd's Wild and Crazy Days

On the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard, I got a chance to read a long NY Times story about King Fahd, the just deceased leader of Saudi Arabia. The story included a glimpse into his younger, wilder days, when he was just a prince waiting for his chance. Fahd got his Kingship after his brother crown prince Faisal was assassinated by a relative. A few years later he shocked his subjects when he spent the holy month of Ramadan in Europe, and enjoyed the company of women and even imbibed in firewater occasionally.

The King truly lived like royalty. He commissioned the same designers who built the flashy sets of the Star Wars movies to decorated his giant private jet. His yacht was as big as an ocean liner. And he once had a huge palace built that was an exact replica of the White House...but never lived there.

The King's last decade was sadly impotent, he suffered a stroke 10 years ago and his step brother Abdullah has led in his place. Many Saudis cut short their vacations just be present at his burial, one man decamping from Dubai to get back.