Saudi Ambassador Resigns After 22 Years by Anna Gawel A long-time fixture on the diplomatic scene in Washington is saying goodbye. After a tenure of 22 years as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan resigned in July for what the Saudi Foreign Ministry cited as unspecified personal reasons. Bandar’s replacement will be Prince Turki al-Faisal, the current Saudi ambassador to Britain. Bandar, the dean of Washington’s diplomatic corps and representative of one of the top oil-producing states, became a powerful player on the D.C. political circuit, enjoying access to the White House through both Democratic and Republican administrations. “Famed for his cigars and good-humored confidence that sometimes bordered on audacity, he brokered deals that heavily influenced U.S. policies and cemented American ties to the world’s largest oil producer,” wrote Robin Wright in a Washington Post article. “He once arrived at the State Department with ten bags of McDonalds hamburgers for a 10 p.m. strategy session—when top officials had no idea he was coming and were discussing an initiative that was still secret.” After a 17-year military career, Bandar was assigned to Washington, D.C., as the kingdom’s defense attaché, becoming ambassador a year later in 198 3. He was involved in cease-fire negotiations in the Lebanese Civil War and has been instrumental in resolving a number of regional and international crises. Bandar’s replacement, Prince Turki al-Faisal, who headed the Saudi intelligence service for 14 years, is also a member of the ruling Saudi royal family. Anna Gawel is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.