Manama: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud has displayed delightful humour that showed his possession of the sense of nuance required for well-told anecdotes when he shared how US former presidents George Bush and George W. Bush had given him barbecue sauce to use in anticipation of his trip to Paris where he might not like French food.
Speaking at a formal dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday at the Elysée palace, Prince Mohammad ended his speech by narrating an anecdote with the two US former leaders whom he met in Texas during his historic two-week visit to the US.
“A few days ago, I was in Texas, meeting President Bush, father and son, and they knew I was coming to Paris and will have dinner, so they gave me barbecue sauce. They said if you don’t like the French food, you use the barbecues sauce,” he said, generating applause and laughter from French leaders and guests.
Prince Mohammad continued in a delightful mood that he was looking forward to not using the sauce at the dinner.
It was Prince Mohammad’s second dinner with President Macron who on Sunday hosted a private dinner at the Louvre, one of the world’s most famous museums, shortly after the Saudi distinguished guest arrived on a three-day visit in Paris.
According to French site “The Local”, the Louvre was the latest prestigious historic site chosen by Macron to host foreign heads of state, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reception at the Versailles chateau and US President Donald Trump’s dinner with his French counterpart at the chic restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.
