Riyadh (Web Desk): British Prime Minister Theresa May refused to wear headscarf during meeting with Saudi Crown Prince.
Rejecting to wear Islamic dress code of the kingdom and in defiance of official UK Foreign Office advice, May met officials and was seen out in public with her hair showing.
A British government spokesman said May had made a ‘personal choice’.
Earlier, May said she hopes to be a role model for women in Saudi Arabia. She believes Saudi women deserve greater freedoms who may feel oppressed by restrictive laws such as a ban on women driving or the limits placed on women’s movement without a male guardian.
Britain’s first female prime minister wore a hat, gloves and a dress that covered her feet during a visit to Saudi in 1985.
May is scheduled to meet with Saudi Princess Reema today, who last year became the first woman to be appointed to a government role when she was made vice-president for women’s affairs in the country’s governing sports body. She has also held talks on trade and security.