For a brief moment in time, he was nothing more than a man in the pool with his arms around Rihanna.
It was June 2017 and Rihanna was pictured holidaying in Spain with a mysterious bobble head, a man who was not in show business nor a man largely recognisable to her wide and passionate fan base.
Naturally, an investigation ensued: Who is Mr Brown Hair With His Arms Around Rihanna?
Quickly, as Twitter hit fever-pitch like only Twitter does, an answer: His name was Hassan Jameel and he was a Saudi billionaire. Because, of course.
Now, nearly a year after doing their best efforts to dodge the press, avoid mainstream celebrity red carpets and cultivate their own version of both reality and privacy, it is more than clear: Rihanna and Hassan Jameel are still together and, more than that, they’re serious.
Because if a simple timeline doesn’t convince you of their seriousness, then perhaps an anonymous source – you know, the purveyor of all things good and true – just might.
“This relationship is the real deal. Rihanna has told friends she’s in love with him and seems completely smitten,” a ‘source’ told The Sun.
Well, then!
So who actually is Hassan Jameel?
Jameel is the deputy president and vice chairman of his family’s company, Abdul Latif Jameel, which also happens to be one of the largest companies in the entire world.
The company is so big and so broad, to the naked eye, it’s almost unclear what exactly they do apart from just own a heap of stuff. According to their website, Abdul Latif Jameel built the largest vehicle distribution network in Saudi Arabia and holds exclusive distribution rights for Toyota cars in Saudi Arabia and seven other countries.
According to The Independent, Jameel’s family fortune is estimated to be a teeny-tiny $1.5 billion. Oh, and the family also own an entire soccer league with 14 teams which is called the Jameel League. Not a soccer team. A soccer league.
The 29-year-old is also the President of a charity called Community Jameel, which is good news, considering the billions burning holes in his pocket. As per the charity’s website, they do not “define people by their problems, but by their potential”.
“Community Jameel is a social enterprise organisation that operates a wide range of initiatives which promote and contribute towards positive societal change and economic sustainability. From our headquarters in Saudi Arabia, we coordinate programmes focusing on the social, cultural, educational, and economic development of individuals and communities in the Middle East region and beyond.”
But if you’re after much more than that, well, you may just have to keep guessing. Rihanna and Hassan have, so far, been fiercely private about their relationship. They do not speak about each other to the media, and Hassan has never appeared by the singer’s side at public celebrity events.
They’re evasive, quiet and rarely ever pictured together. But given the very public nature of Rihanna’s last few relationships, perhaps there’s very good reason why.