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I read something recently that reminded me of an old story from the Gulf region. During the 1980s the late King Fahd was ruling Saudi Arabia, and Margaret Thatcher was “ruling” great Britain. The Saudi king had not yet given himself, usurped, the new title of “Servant of the Two Holy Shrines”. That title used to belong to the Hashemites until the al-Saud invaded Hijaz and evicted them north (sort of like the Jewish tribes of Khayber) in the 20th century. They probably did that with the connivance of the British, who were the supreme power in the Middle East. I recall there were stories around the Gulf that the king had a crush on the Iron Lady, that he went so far as to compose verses in admiration of her, comparing Thatcher’s red cheeks to apples (supposedly his words). Or maybe it was just lust since these princes are probably not raised like normal people. Maggie, of course had her heart filled with two: Ronald Reagan (she never called him Gipper or Gipp) and Dennis Thatcher (probably called him hey you), possibly not necessarily in that order.

I used to have my doubts about that story, although not many things surprise me about some of these potentates. I still doubt it, not that it matters. Now wtf kind of masochist, even an absolute king, would have wanted to be hand-bagged by old “iron-pants” Maggie?
Cheers
mhg


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