Daughter of Saudi king ‘flees Paris after ordering bodyguards to murder a painter and decorator’

THE daughter of King Salman of Saudi Arabia has fled Paris after allegedly telling one of her bodyguards to murder a painter and decorator, it was claimed today.

Princess Hassa, 42, has pleaded diplomatic immunity against prosecution after reportedly telling her armed employee: "You have to kill this dog, he doesn't deserve to live."

But the bodyguard, who has not been named, was arrested in the French capital last week and appeared before a judge yesterday.

He was put under formal criminal investigation for a range of charges including violence with a firearm, kidnapping, and assisted kidnapping.

He is said to have attacked the unnamed 53-year-old workman inside a palatial flat on September 26, after the princess caught him taking pictures.

It was also said that she told the Frenchman to kiss her feet after the alleged assault.

There was no sign of Hassa in court, and she too insists she was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

The royal involved was originally identified as a close relative of the late Saudi King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Now, however, Le Point magazine, which broke the story, says she is the 42-year-old daughter of the current king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He has five sons, and his only daughter is Princess Hassa, who was born in 1974. Hassa has always been a regular visitor to Paris, where she is known for enjoying an opulent lifestyle.

During questioning by the judge on Saturday, the bodyguard said he done the "minimum necessary" to "restrain" the workman after the princess caught him taking pictures.

He was accused of wanting to sell the images of the inside of the flat in Avenue Foch, the prestigious road close to the Arc de Triomphe, to the media.

But judicial police said it was perfectly normal for painters and decorators to take pictures on their smartphones during jobs.

The bodyguard confirmed the princess was present during the incident, and that he was carrying an automatic pistol, as he was entitled to as a diplomatic guard.

The Saudi Royal is said to have ordered her bodyguard to beat the unidentified Frenchman up, tied his hands and feet together, and then made him kiss her feet.

After a four-hour ordeal, the workman was kicked out of the flat, and told to "never return" to the area.

But Elie Hatem, the bodyguard’s barrister, disputes this version of events, saying: "There were more than twenty people in the apartments."

"How can the facts as outlined by the complainant have been overlooked?"

Later the workman asked for the equivalent of some £16,000 for work done, and for the return of his tools.

Detectives entered the Avenue Foch flat last week, where they were said to have retrieved the tools of the decorator, who was officially signed off work for a week because of shock and severe bruising.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in Paris has refused to comment on the case.