King Abdulaziz Library Unveils Rare 1938 Princess Alice Photos, Highlights Early Saudi-UK Ties

King Abdulaziz Public Library, in cooperation with the Saudi Embassy in the United Kingdom, launched a photo exhibition in London showcasing a rich collection of rare historical photographs taken by Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's granddaughter, during her landmark 1938 expedition to Saudi Arabia, where she and her husband, the Earl of Athlone, visited King Abdulaziz.
 At the exhibition, which opened on October 16 at the Royal Geographical Society in London and will run until November 14, King Abdulaziz Public Library General Supervisor Faisal bin Muaammar highlighted the Kingdom's enduring appeal to researchers and travelers due to its unique cultural heritage, strategic location, and custodianship of the two holy mosques. He noted that these factors inspire intellectual curiosity and a desire to understand Arab societies.
 He pointed out that despite the challenges of her nearly three-week journey, Princess Alice expressed admiration for the Kingdom's natural beauty and documented the trip in a photo journal, capturing 324 rare photographs, some of which are among the earliest color images taken in Saudi Arabia.
 Princess Alice's journey stands as a powerful testament to the deep historical ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, relations that began with the 1915 treaty and evolved into diplomatic relations in 1927. The King Abdulaziz Public Library, which holds the original collection of 324 rare images, published a special selection of the photographs to commemorate the cultural exchange and underscore the depth of the relations between the two nations.