HRH Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on 1 March, 1964 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Her Royal Highness grew up with her mother in Lebanon, where she received her primary and secondary education. Due to the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon, HRH settled in London where she pursued her secondary and sixth form studies in Oxford, achieving her O levels, A levels, and American high school diploma in 1978. She then went on to study Sociology at the University of Richmond in the UK. Her Royal Highness completed her undergraduate studies in Sociology at the American University in Switzerland, Lausanne. Then, Her Royal Highness moved to Syria to study medicine and English literature at the University of Tishreen in Syria. In 1982, she moved to Beirut for a year to study Psychology.

In 1984, at the National American University in California, Her Royal Highness received BSc (Hons) Degree in Sociology. In 1986, she went on to achieve MSc Degree in Social Economics and Political Science.