‘Saudi princess’ did not praise prexy bet

January 28, 2022 - 2:32 PM
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This composite photo shows the fake quote card featuring the supposed Princess of Saudi Arabia and a photo of former adult actress Mia Khalifa. (Marites2022 BBM & SaraDu30 Bacolod City/Facebook; Mia Khalifa/Instagram)

CLAIM: A quote card featuring a supposed princess of Saudi Arabia praised presidential aspirant, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The “princess” is identified as Ameera Naser Khalifa while the quote accompanying the picture reads:

“I, the Princess of Saudi, would like to express my support to Bongbong Marcos because he is a visionary leader. I hope someday, I will meet him. His bashers are the worst citizens in the country.” 

BBM Fact Check
Screenshot from Facebook group “BBM UNITY UK (Official Group)” by Interaksyon on Jan. 28, 2022.

RATING: This is fake.

FACTS: A reverse image search of the quote card reveals that the photo featured is Lebanese-born American former adult star Mia Khalifa.

There are also no quotes from legitimate sources claiming that Khalifa actually said those words.

She is not a Saudi Arabian royalty but there is a princess who bears the first name featured on the quote card.

She is Ameerah Al-Taweel, a former Saudia Arabian princess who was previously married to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family.

She is now married to entrepreneur Khalifa bin Butti Al Muhairi.

There are also no reports claiming that Al-Taweel has expressed support for Marcos Jr.

Aside from this, the quote card also bore a made-up seal of “House of Representa-thieves” with text “Pilipinuts.”

It also included a disclaimer at the bottom part of the post which states that it is a satirical post. This disclaimer has been cropped in some versions.

“Satire posting: House of Representa-thieves: Butasang pambulsa,” the text reads.

“Hindi niya ito sinabi,” another text reads, which was indicated five times at the bottom part.

Screenshot from Facebook page Marites2022 BBM & SaraDu30 Bacolod City by Interaksyon on Jan. 28, 2022.

 

Why it matters

With the 2022 polls and campaign season nearing, the fake quote card is being shared on various Facebook groups.

A Facebook search on the keywords “Saudi princess” and the presidential bet’s name would yield several versions of the fake quote card.

It is being circulated by some accounts of Marcos Jr.’s supporters, garnering hundreds of likes.

A quote card featuring Khalifa’s photo was also previously used in posts that claimed she has expressed support for President Rodrigo Duterte. A previous false quote card reads:

“President Duterte proves to be a hero by using his leadership skills to protect his country in times of recession. He have (sic) inspired me to be better, try harder, and never give up!” 

According to a report, this was posted by a Facebook group called “Prophecy Prime Minister Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

As of this writing, the post is no longer available on the social networking site.