Vogue Arabia's June cover photo features a Saudi princess behind the wheel of a red convertible as the kingdom prepares to lift its ban on women drivers, AFP reported Thursday (May 31st).
The image of Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud, in the driver's seat wearing leather gloves and high heels, appears on the front cover of the June edition as the kingdom prepares to lift its decades-old ban on women driving on June 24th.
The issue is dedicated to the "trailblazing women of Saudi Arabia" and lauds the reforms launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to loosen social restrictions and curb the powers of religious hardliners.
"In our country, there are some conservatives who fear change. For many, it is all they have known," Princess Hayfa, the daughter of the late King Abdullah, was quoted as saying in the magazine.
"Personally, I support these changes with great enthusiasm," added the princess, whose photo was shot in the desert outside the western city of Jeddah.
The Vogue Arabia issue also features other "inspirational" Saudi women, including women's rights activist Manal al-Sharif and Saja Kamal, a footballer working to establish the kingdom's first women's team.
