Princess: Stepping Out of The Shadows

With more than 1.8 million copies sold across eight titles, Jean Sasson's PRINC ESS series has achieved remarkable success for more than 21 years. Written with Princess Al Saud, each book follows the extraordinarily glamorous life of this Saudi Princess, her friends and her family.

But there’s a much darker, more serious side to the PRINCESS series – the side which focuses on human rights abuses – and most particularly the appalling treatment of women in Saudi Arabia. And with women very much in the headlines today, and the Saudi Crown Prince making his own headlines with his determination to modernise the Kingdom, Stepping Out of the Shadows, couldn’t be more relevant or timely.

In Stepping Out of the Shadows Jean Sasson and the Princess focus on how, despite recent reforms, such as women being afforded the right to drive unaccompanied, Saudi women still suffer horrific physical and psychological abuse. With the guardianship laws still very much in evidence, women are controlled and are often treated like chattels by men. They have virtually no protection from the archaic laws of the land and access to education is also denied to the majority of women. Any thoughts of leading an independent life is little more than a pipe dream for most.

And of course, because the fans demand it, there will be updates on the Princess's family, the daughters, grandchildren and other much-loved characters who have populated this series for many years.