Saudi Arabia: Prince allegedly snorted cocaine and had gay sex in Beverly Hills

The Saudi prince arrested at his Beverly Hills mansion last month had reportedly gone on a rampage after snorting cocaine. Prince Majed bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 29, is alleged to have forced himself on three female workers, threatened to kill them if they spurned his advances and made them watch as another man performed a sexual act on him – all while high from the drug.

Los Angeles Superior Court documents seen by the Times newspapers state that the prince even had to be restrained because he had attempted to urinate on the three women. They are now seeking unspecified financial damages in a civil suit after the prince's "despicable" rampage.

The women's court statement alleges that Prince Majed had being partying for three days at his rented $37 million home in the upmarket neighbourhood. He apparently had been drinking heavily and using a drug that the women believe to be cocaine.

The prince, who is the son of the late King Abdullah, was partying with "multiple escorts" over the days and was becoming "increasingly intoxicated". He then reportedly harassed the women who are all married and were hired to work for him as housekeepers during his stay in America.

The unnamed plaintiffs have accused the prince of assault and battery, false imprisonment, sexual discrimination and emotional distress, the court papers state. Prosecutors in Los Angeles dropped criminal charges against the prince because of insufficient evidence, the Times reported.

Speaking about the decision to drop the charges, Prince Majed's lawyer, Alan Jackson, said: "It became clear very quickly that the allegations were rooted in another motive, which was a kind of shakedown for money. This shows that the accuser's stories cannot be substantiated."

The prince has not filed a defence yet.

The arrest of the prince comes at a sensitive time for the Saudi royal family. Eight of the 12 surviving sons of Saudi Arabia's founding monarch were reportedly plotting to oust King Salman, 79, the country's ailing ruler, and replace him with his 73-year-old brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.

The House of Saud has ruled over Saudi Arabia since 1916. It has promoted a strict version of Islam called Wahhabism which strictly forbids drinking alcohol, homosexuality and extra-marital sex.