Um, their what now?

While reading an article in today's WashPost about the resignation of Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan, one sentence gave me pause.

"Bandar, who was the product of his father's liaison with a family slave, had a wily ability to blend Riyadh's wealth and Washington's power for a common end." (italics added)

How could Robin Wright just throw that little tidbit of information in there and not explain it?

Just when you think McSociety has homogenized every nook and cranny of the globe, you get hit in the face with such a matter-of-fact phrase that forces you to do a double take. It is a small world after all, but we're definitely not all the same.