Melania and Ivanka Trump did not wear headscarves during Donald Trump's key Saudi Arabia speech

President previously criticised Michelle Obama for failing to cover her head in the orthodox Islamic kingdom, saying, 'they were insulted'

As Donald Trump delivered a key speech in front of heads of state in the strict Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his wife and daughter Melania and Ivanka Trump both appeared without headscarves, even though the US President previously criticised former first lady Michelle Obama for doing the same thing.

As the the President spoke before Middle East leaders in the the country's capital Riyadh, the capital city, the first wife and daughter sat slightly behind him.

Their appearance without headscarves is not unprecedented for the relatives of western politicians or female leaders themselves.

But the fact the President previously admonished Michelle Obama for failing to cover her hair has attracted accusations of hypocrisy.

“Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf enemies,” Mr Trump tweeted at the time of the Obama visit, including a short-hand spelling for “enough.”

Hillary Clinton, on trips to Saudi Arabia as Mr Obama’s secretary of state, also did not cover her head.

On visits earlier this year, British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also shunned head coverings. Former first lady Laura Bush generally went without covering her head, though she once briefly donned a headscarf she was given as a gift.

Arriving on Saturday for the President's first international tour, neither Melania nor Ivanka covered their long hair as they stepped off the plane. Head coverings are not required for foreigners and most western women go without, but most Saudi Arabia women cover their hair and their face with a veil known as the niqab.

The two women abided by expected norms of modesty by wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeved tops in the culturally conservative kingdom.

Saudi Arabia adheres to an ultraconservative interpretation of Islamic Sharia law where unrelated men and women are segregated in most public places.

Under the guardianship system, women are banned from driving, although rights advocates have campaigned to lift the ban, which has recently been partially modified.

Mr Trump, who attracted widespread criticism for comments he made about Muslims during the Presidential campaign, said the US was not at war with Islam, instead defining the fight against terrorist groups as a "battle between good and evil."

He said: "This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations.

This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it.

This is a battle between good and evil."