Karen Elliott House’s Book on MBS: A Glowing Portrait or a PR Brochure?
“Mohammed bin Salman: The Man Who Will Be King” Blurs the Line Between Biography and Royal Public Relations.
Watan-“300 pages of continuous fascination”— this is how one might sum up the book by American journalist Karen Elliott House, strikingly titled Mohammed bin Salman: The Man Who Will Be King. The book feels more like an attempt to wrap absolute power in a shiny modern package than a balanced political biography.
House, who met the Saudi Crown Prince six times, recounts her admiration for a young man who starts his mornings with video games and ends his nights dreaming of Middle East revival. She describes him as “the Bedouin John F. Kennedy” and “the most ambitious Arab leader since the Islamic conquest of Persia.”
But beneath the glitter, the pages raise unavoidable questions:Are we witnessing a prophet of grand visions—or a well-marketed brand in a slick PR campaign?
300 صفحة من الانبهار المتواصل.. صحفية أمريكية تُحوّل ولي العهد إلى بطل خارق.. يلعب ألعاب الفيديو صباحا، ويغيّر وجه الشرق الأوسط مساء !!
جولة سريعة في كتاب “#محمد_بن_سلمان،الرجل الذي سيغدو ملكا” لكارين هاوس.. تقدمه وكأنه “جون كينيدي البدو” وتصفه أيضا بأنه “أكثر القادة العرب طموحا… pic.twitter.com/hWFDSeqTNU
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) July 15, 2025
Is this really a book—or a brilliantly designed promotional brochure?
The veteran journalist, who has covered Saudi Arabia for decades, comes across here as a kind of “court poet,” telling the story of a prince as familiar with Final Fantasy 16 as he is with energy policy and social reform.
What the book does not mention is repression—or the price paid by those who dare to voice a different opinion.
In the end, the book seems like a message… but one directed to the West, not to local readers.
