On the run after the collapse of her husband Bashar Al Assad’s dynasty, the former First Lady of Syria was once dubbed ‘A Rose in the Desert’, but now she is a figure of reviled hatred on par with Lady Macbeth.
For years, Asma Al Assad, 49, was the face of female liberation in the Middle East; with her successful career in banking and her secular British upbringing.
Born in London in 1975, the son of Fawaz Akhras, a successful cardiologist at the private Cromwell Hospital, and her mother Sahar, a senior Syrian diplomat, she was sent to Queen’s College, Marylebone, where fees are almost £9,000 per term.
From there, she graduated from King’s College London in 1996 with a degree in computer science and French literature and embarked on a career in investment banking at major companies including Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan.
Four years later she married Assad, now 59, in Syria, the same year he took control of the country, following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who died aged 69.
Together they have three children, aged between 19 and 23, and they are probably looking for a safe haven with their parents.
On the international stage, Ms Assad cut an understated figure, with her modest clothing and photogenic appearance, her veilless face emblematic of Syria’s reputation for relative freedom for women in a Muslim country.
This view seemed confirmed when Vogue magazine named an interview with her “A Rose in the Desert” in February 2010, describing her as the “freshest and most magnetic of the first ladies.”
Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad pose during a visit to the Great Wall of China in Badaling on June 22, 2004
For years, Asma was the face of female liberation in the Middle East; with her successful career in banking and her secular British upbringing
The couple during a visit to Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria, on April 28, 2009
But the following year, war broke out in Syria between rebels and the Assad regime over his brutally repressive regime, and the country’s reputation as open and secular was destroyed.
The couple reportedly grew apart during the conflict, but when Assad’s mother died in 2016 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she was once again placed at the heart of the regime’s economy.
But this new role was nothing more than a shakedown operation by the country’s middle-class merchants and businessmen.
She orchestrated a secretive labyrinth of committees and policies, led by her accomplice, that controlled everything from internet access to reduced food rations.
Her empire also extended to the distribution of foreign aid; in fact, she controlled who got what and when.
As her role within Assad’s dictatorship grew, she was unable to maintain her early image of the liberated woman operating at the heart of power in a Muslim country.
She became one and the same with the terrible oppression of the Syrian people by the Syrian regime.
The couple have three children, who are between 19 and 23 years old, and they are probably looking for a safe haven together with their parents.
Al-Assad and his wife Asma arrive at the official lunch at Hotel Marigny in Paris, France on July 14, 2008
Syrian President al-Assad and his wife Asma visit the Sednaya Monastery and meet children and religious personalities on Christmas Day in Sednaya, near Damascus, Syria on December 25, 2016
Asma became one and the same with the terrible oppression of his people by the Syrian regime
A personal low point for her was when Vogue removed the interview with her from its website in 2012 after public reactions to the war in Syria.
Despite the challenges to her public image, she was still seen on the international stage meeting with heads of state in Europe.
But her role in Syria’s financial policies earned her the widespread, unenviable nickname of ‘Lady Macbeth’, by rebels and commentators alike.
And now, as rumors swirl that she and her husband are seeking refuge in despotic regimes like Russia and Iran, her once gilded facade has been completely shattered.
In four days, the Assads will celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary, in surroundings undoubtedly less salubrious than their former palatial seat of power in the Syrian capital Damascus.
But where exactly they will share that wedding moment, with their dynasty in tatters and no clear vision for the future, is anyone’s guess.
Russia, a longtime ally of the Assad regime, cryptically announced that the family had fled Damascus, confirming it is in talks with rebel factions to fill the void left behind, but did not confirm whether the Assads were Russian territory entered.
Wherever Mrs. Assad and her fallen husband find themselves in the coming years, be it Moscow or Tehran, it is a long road back to Damascus.
Her empire also extended to the distribution of foreign aid; in fact, she controlled who got what and when
Now that rumors are swirling that she and her husband are seeking refuge in despotic regimes like Russia and Iran, her once gilded facade has been completely shattered.
Ms Assad’s parents’ home in west London is a spacious terrace, with a brown stone front and bay windows with white Edwardian glass panels.
Rows of BMWs, Mercedes and Four by Four cars line up in adjacent driveways.
It is a typical middle class street with trees that have lost their leaves in December.
The houses fetch an average of £600,000 to a million along the way, close to parks and busy shopping streets full of boutiques, artisan bakeries and cafes.
According to neighbors, President Assad’s in-laws have not been seen for some time.
Nevertheless, their driveway is immaculately maintained, with no obvious signs of decay on the paint of the black door and white window frames.
A large TV satellite dish extends from the front of the house, which is accessed through a black gate and along a paved path.