Nabila Khashoggi

Nabila Khashoggi was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the eldest child of the late Saudi Arabian arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and his English former wife, Soraya Khashoggi (born Sandra Patricia Jarvis-Daly).[2] Her paternal grandfather, Muhammad Khashoggi, was of Turkish origin from Kayseri[3][4] and the personal physician to King Abdulaziz Al Saud. Their surname, Khashoggi, means "spoon maker" (Kaşıkçı) in the Turkish language.[4]

Khashoggi's cousin was Dodi Fayed, who died in a car crash in 1997 along with Princess Diana. She was educated at Millfield.[5]

Her family moved to England in 1975 to avoid conflict in the region. Her father named one of his yachts 'Nabila' after his daughter (1980). The super-yacht would later be featured in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again[6] and would eventually be sold to the Sultan of Brunei, Donald Trump and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.[2][7]

Khashoggi studied acting with Joanne Baron in Los Angeles, who notably had such students as Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton, and shortly afterward immersed herself in the world of the theatre. While pursuing her acting career, Khashoggi supplemented her income by working on business projects. Eye of the Widow (1991), the Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993), Crack (1994), and Labyrinth (2003) are her most notable film roles.[1]

In 1983 Khashoggi partnered with Bedros Bedrossian, an electrical engineer for the ITT Defense Communications Division, and formed a company called Infolex Corp. This company produced information kiosks for travelers that listed places to eat, entertainment venues and shopping in the area. The information was presented in a variety of languages at a time when the internet was not publicly available, this service was used by hotel chains and busy airports.[8]

A year later, in 1984, working with her brothers, she embarked on a real estate development venture. Khashoggi sold and developed properties in Spain, England, the United States, France, and South Korea. The siblings also managed and developed a Kenyan tourist camp, as well as worked with developers to create mobile hospital units with much needed medical equipment for war torn areas.[8]

In 2010, Khashoggi founded Nabila K, an online cosmetics, beauty, and home products company.[9][10]

Khashoggi is the author of a series of children's adventure books, including Spartan and the Green Egg a trip to the Rainforest.[1][11][12]

Her philanthropic efforts include support for Children for Peace (ONLUS) an Italian charity for impoverished children.[13]

In 1992, Khashoggi married British businessman Danny Daggenhurst, chairman of a palm oil company in Bangkok, and son of a former Greek ambassador to Czechoslovakia.[5][14] They had a son, Spartan.[15] Khashoggi later married James Cox Chambers, an American billionaire heir.[16] She has a second son, with Chambers.[17] They live in New York.[18][17]