Saudi Prince Bids Farewell

A Saudi Arabian prince whose five-month stay in Cambridge was mired in controversy flew to South Florida in late December, leaving behind tens of thousands of dollars in donations to local schools and charities.

A Trump Shuttle 727-100 carrying Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, his wife Princess Hend, their family and their entourage of more than 40 cooks, servants and bodyguards pushed back from Logan Airport terminal A just before 5:45 p.m. December 18.

A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that the prince was aboard and said the flight was destined for "an international airport in the most southern region of the United States and on the East Coast."

John F. Burrows, manager of charter operations for the Trump Shuttle, declined to name the exact airport, but it appeared likely that the prince had returned to South Florida, where he has lived in the past.

Syed Mohammed, a spokesperson for the prince, also declined to discuss where the royal entourage had gone. Asked why the prince had departed, Mohammed said, "He has a right to leave whenever he wants."

In the days before his departure, the Saudi royalty made efforts to mend its local reputation, which had been marred by reports of his body guards' undue use of force, both in Cambridge and elsewhere.

The Cambridge Public Schools recieved more than $35,000 in gifts from the prince and princess, according to a spokesperson for the schools.

Dr. Raymond G. Dancy, principal of the Joseph Maynard School, said Princess Hend visited the schools and then donated money to support its multicultural curriculum, which would have run out of funds this year. The princess "left an impression with the children that will last a lifetime," Dancy said.

A community health center in the Dorchester/Roxbury section of Boston also got a visit from the princess, and a $10,000 check, according to a spokesperson.

A charity which Cambridge police officers operate to support disabled children reportedly recieved a gift of $30,000from the prince, but one city official said thatcontribution was dwarfed by another one.

"The prince appeared to give the biggest giftto the police detail," said City Councillor EdwardN. Cyr, referring to the round-the-clock group ofpolice officers assigned to protect the royalfamily.

The prince, who is a brother of King Fahd andfourth in line to the Saudi throne, arrived inCambridge in late July to visit an ailing relativeand tour local colleges with his children. But hismission here changed rapidly after Iraq invadedKuwait on August 2.

The prince took quickly to the diplomaticscene, meeting with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson andgovernment officials to discuss the response tothe Gulf crisis. Aides to the prince described himas a trusted and influential player in the Saudipolitical apparatus.

The prince further buttressed his reputation bymeeting with President Derek C. Bok and otherHarvard officials and he eventually donated morethan a million dollars to the Medical School toendow a professorship in immunology.

But the prince's image began to unravel inOctober, after The Crimson reported that thesecurity detail Harvard police officers wereproviding to the royal family was taxing routinepolice work. Then sordid details of the prince'spast began to surface. Newspapers reported thatduring the past decade the prince was accused ofholding servants as slaves in Saudi Arabia andEngland and that police searching the prince'sFlorida home were attacked by royal bodyguards,the prince and his wife.

Reports that the royal family had drivenCambridge children from city parks prompted thecity council to parks prompted the city council topass a measure reminding the family that theplaying fields were not to be usurped by privateindividuals.

Shortly after the prince's departure lastmonth, the halls of the ninth and tenth floors ofthe Charles Hotel, where the royal entouragestayed during his visit, were littered with emptystereo boxes, pieces of electrical tape, roomservice trays and old news clippings.

And although a Florida hotel is suing theprince for damage done to their rooms during astay in May, Charles Hotel spokesperson MarthaSullivan said the royal family's rooms were inworking order.

"We've been in all the rooms and the roomssuffered no more than the ordinary wear and tear,"Sullivan said