The West can learn a lot from Saudi Arabia when it comes to gender equality as Saudi women enjoy more rights than their Western counterparts, a princess from the kingdom has claimed.

Speaking at the World Tolerance Summit in Dubai on Wednesday, Princess Lamia bint Majid criticised portrayals of Saudi women in the western media, saying that they do not accurately reflect their situation.

"The West always thinks that women in my country are vulnerable and not being given their rights," Princess Lamia told The National at the Dubai event.

"I remember being in a meeting in the UK recently where they were discussing the problem of unequal pay between men and women and I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"Men and women have equal pay in Saudi. If someone is earning even one riyal less than someone doing the same job they can sue.

"That's not the case in the West, despite the fact they've been talking about it for years."