Cops Nab Saudi Princess Bailing on $7.5M Hotel Bill

Maha al-Sudani allegedly tried to run off at 3:30am
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 4, 2012 11:59 AM CDT
Cops Nab Saudi Princess Bailing on $7.5M Hotel Bill
A picture taken on December 9, 2010 in Paris, shows a groom opening the entrance door of the luxury Shangri-La Hotel, listed Historic Building in 2009.   (Getty Images/AFP)

Etiquette lesson of the day, folks: Paying for things is generally considered polite, even if you're royalty and have diplomatic immunity. This lesson was apparently lost on Saudi Princess Maha al-Sudani (ex to Crown Prince Nayef ben Abdel Aziz), who was caught last week trying to sneak out of a luxury hotel in Paris without paying her $7.5 million bill, according to RFI. The hotel staff called the cops when al-Sudani tried to leave at 3:30am with her 60-member entourage, who had taken over a 41-room floor of the Shangri-La since December.

When police arrived, al-Sudani was still loading her copious baggage into a bevvy of limousines, according to Press TV. No charges were filed, ostensibly thanks to her diplomatic immunity, but the hotel appears to have gotten its money in the end. When contacted by the AFP, it said it had "no problems" with clients, and "no unpaid bills." The princess, who was "grounded" in a palace for two years by King Abdallah after running up other massive bills in 2009, was eventually given refuge at a hotel owned by the emir of Qatar. (More Mahi al-Sudani stories.)

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