Prince Turki, like Bandar Bush, is a leading member of the Royal Family and served as the head of Saudi intelligence for nearly a quarter of a century. Most recently, he was ambassador to London. His arrival in Washington is also likely to cause controversy. The prince was among several leading Saudi figures who were named in a $1 trillion lawsuit filed by the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks, who claimed that he helped to fund Osama bin Laden’s network. And, on at least 5 occasions, Prince Turki met personally with bin Laden and his lieutenants. He described bin Laden as “very soft- spoken” and “quite a pleasant man.” The Times of London reported in 2002 that before the 9/11attacks, diplomatic sources said that the Saudi Government had come under intense pressure from Washington to replace Prince Turki as head of Saudi intelligence because of his past association and support for bin Laden.