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Camilla, wife of Britain's Prince Charles, on Saturday toured a women's charity that promotes education and employment as she met with Saudi women in her first visit to Saudi Arabia.
The second wife of the heir to the British throne, officially known as Duchess of Cornwall, is accompanying Charles on a three-day official trip to the conservative oil-rich kingdom.
She spent much of the day at the Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women in Riyadh, which helps to train and employ women from needy families in places such as factories.
The charity was founded and is led by Princess Sara al-Faisal, daughter of the late Saudi king Faisal and sister of Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
Camilla appeared to take a keen interest in the activities of the charity, which runs a heritage center that produces the long handmade dresses representing various regions of the kingdom, manages an institute for training and development and oversees a school for women with Down Syndrome.
She stopped to chat with a graduate of the Down Syndrome school, 23-year-old Heila, who works at the society and eagerly greeted the royal guest and her entourage. A ruling family member said Camilla seemed impressed by a presentation on the school.
A group of young girls learning hair-cutting at a beauty training section did not hide their excitement after the duchess queried them about their pursuits, saying she had struck them as "modest" and likeable.
The visit was "excellent. She is extremely sweet and was interested -- mainly -- to get to know us," Princess Sara said.
As a gift, Camilla received a traditional embroidered dress from the Saudi heartland of Najd, which was made by women at the heritage center.
"All my favorite colors," Camilla said of the purple and pink "thob" as she opened a gift box presented by Princess Sara.
Sporting an off-white trousers suit and a beige and blue scarf, Camilla, who like other prominent women visitors to Saudi Arabia has been exempted from wearing the long black robe known as abaya, inquired in detail about the making of the embroidered dresses, each of which takes between a month and a year to complete.
Prices start at 3,000 riyals (800 dollars), and the velvet outfit offered to Camilla would normally sell at around 26,000 riyals (nearly 7,000 dollars) and take two months to make, according to society officials.
"We prepared for you one which would be warm to wear in England," Princess Basma bint Majed, daughter of the governor of the Red Sea city of Jeddah, told Camilla as she showed her around.
"Inshallah (God willing)," Camilla said in Arabic when her hostesses expressed the hope she would come again.
Camilla was due to meet more Saudi women at a private dinner Saturday.
Women in Saudi Arabia remain subject to a host of restrictions, but the government is trying to open up more work sectors for them as part of a slow process of reform.
The visit to the society was one of a number of separate engagements Prince Charles and his wife are having during their stay, which features meetings with the Saudi royal family and other joint activities.
The couple came to Riyadh from Egypt and are due to go on to India on their second official trip abroad together since their marriage last April.
lg/sd/ksh
Britain-Saudi-royals
AFP 251406 GMT 03 06
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