Saud bin Nayef Al Saud

Saud bin Nayef Al Saud (Arabic: سعود بن نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; born 1956) is a Saudi Arabian politician who has served as governor of Eastern Province since 2013. A member of the House of Saud, he is the former head of the Crown Prince Court and special advisor to the Saudi Crown Prince. Prince Saud was once regarded as one of the candidates for king or crown prince when succession passed to the new generation.[3] However, on the death of King Abdullah in 2015, he was passed over in the line of succession in favor of his younger brother Mohammed bin Nayef. Prince Saud has been the governor of the Eastern Province since 13 January 2013.

Saud bin Nayef Al Saud
Governor of Eastern Province
In office14 January 2013 – present
PredecessorMohammed bin Fahd
Monarch
  • Abdullah
  • Salman
Head of the Crown Prince Court
In officeNovember 2011 – 14 January 2013
PredecessorAli bin Ibrahim Al Hadeethi
SuccessorMohammed bin Salman Al Saud
MonarchAbdullah
Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Spain
In office10 September 2003 – July 2011
PredecessorAbdulaziz Al Thunayan[1]
SuccessorMansour bin Khaled bin Abdullah Al Farhan[2]
Monarch
Born1956 (age 67–68)
SpousePrincess Abeer bint Faisal bin Turki
Issue
List
HouseAl Saud
FatherNayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
MotherAl Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi
Alma materUniversity of Portland

Early life and education edit

Prince Saud was born in 1956.[4] He is the eldest son and one of ten children of the former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Nayef bin Abdulaziz.[5] His mother is Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi[6] who died in July 2019.[7] She was a member of the powerful Jiluwi clan whose members have been intermarried with those of House of Saud,[8] and sister of King Fahd's wife.[9] Prince Mohammed is his younger brother.[10][11]

Saud bin Nayef received a bachelor of arts degree in economics and management from the University of Portland.[12]

Career and activities edit

Saud bin Nayef was appointed vice president of the youth welfare presidency in January 1986.[4][12] However, he resigned after six months. Then he had business dealings.[13] In February 1993, he began to serve as the deputy governor of the Eastern Province and left business activities.[13][14][15] His term lasted until 2003. Shortly after, he was appointed Saudi ambassador to Spain on 10 September 2003 and served in the post until July 2011.[8][16] While serving as ambassador he contributed to the organization of interfaith conference in Madrid that brought together Israeli and American rabbis and Wahhabi clerics in July 2008.[17] The conference was an initiative of King Abdullah.[17]

Next, Prince Saud was appointed assistant minister of interior for public affairs[18][19] and advisor to Second Deputy Prime Minister and his father Prince Nayef in July 2011.[20]

Saud bin Nayef was the head of the Crown Prince Court and special advisor to the Crown Prince at the rank of minister from November 2011 to 13 January 2013.[21] He replaced Ali bin Ibrahim Al Hadeethi as head of the court.[22] During his tenure, Prince Saud exercised the power given him through this appointment on behalf of his father rather than on his own authority.[18] His term as the head of the court and special advisor to the Crown Prince continued after Prince Nayef's death in June 2012 for six months.[23]

On 13 January 2013, Prince Saud was appointed governor of the oil-rich Eastern province at the rank of minister, replacing Mohammed bin Fahd in the post.[10][24]

Other roles and business activities edit

During his term as Saudi Ambassador to Spain, Prince Saud had contacts with president of the Madrid Stock Exchange.[25] He was one of the members of the board of trustees of the Arab Thought Foundation that is a Saudi think-tank group, attempting to improve the relations between Arab nations and the Western nations.[26]

Saud bin Nayef is deputy chairman of the Higher Commission of the Prize of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the Prophetic Sunnah and Islamic Studies and General Supervisor of the Prize.[27]

In addition to these semi-public roles, in December 2011, Saud bin Nayef was appointed member of the Allegiance Council since his father could not have a seat in the Council due to being then crown prince.[28]

Saud bin Nayef has also some business activities. He has a stake in Danagas corporation[29] and is the owner of SNAS trading and contracting company. In the 1990s he was the chairman of an engineering company based in Riyadh which was established in 1979.[30]

Personal life edit

Saud bin Nayef was married twice. His first wife is Abeer bint Faisal bin Turki, daughter of his aunt Luluwah bint Abdulaziz.[31] They have four children: Jawahir, Abdulaziz, Mohammed and Noura. He had another daughter, Sara, with his second wife, but the child died in infancy.[32] His son, Mohammed, married a daughter of Sultan bin Abdulaziz. One of Prince Saud's daughters married Faisal bin Saud, son of Saud bin Abdullah Al Saud in October 2010[33] and the other married Nayef bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz on 10 December 2010.[34]

His son, Mohammed bin Saud, has Al Naifat stable. He won the Belgium International championship and World Horse Producers Cup in the US in April 2012. He also won the Di Pietrasanta international B show in May 2012. Two horses from the Al Naifat stable, Diana and Mascot, were chosen as the most beautiful horses among more than 100 Arab origin horses in the same event.[35]

Views edit

Concerning the business activities of the Al Saud family, Saud bin Nayef argued "You have to understand one simple fact. Since it (Al Saud Family) is a big family and we cannot all have government jobs, some have to make a living. That's only fair."[36]

Ancestry edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Royal decrees on ministerial and top-level appointments". Saudi Embassy. 7 June 1997. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Prince Salman arrives in Spain". Saudi Gazette. 7 June 2012. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  3. ^ Ellen Knickmeyer (16 June 2012). "Saudi Arabia's Enforcer of Internal Security". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b Sabri Sharaf (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I. S. Publications. p. 129. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.
  5. ^ Stig Stenslie (2012). Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession. Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-51157-8.
  6. ^ Caryle Murphy (5 June 2009). "The heir apparent". Global Post. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Saudi royal passes away, court announces". Khaleej Times. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b Joshua Teitelbaum (1 November 2011). "Saudi succession and stability" (PDF). BESA Center. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  9. ^ Joseph A. Kéchichian (16 January 2013). "Saudi's Eastern Province post of grave importance". Gulf News. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Saudi king names new governor for restive oil region". Reuters. Jeddah. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  11. ^ Glenn Carey (14 January 2014). "Saudi King Asks Saud Bin Nayef to Run Oil-Rich Province". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz". Arab Thought Foundation. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  13. ^ a b "About the Bin Laden family". PBS. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  14. ^ Simon Henderson (1994). "After King Fahd" (PDF). Washington Institute. Archived from the original (Policy Paper) on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Social Responsibility". Projects System Group. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  16. ^ Glen Carey (14 January 2013). "Saudi King Asks Saud Bin Nayef to Run Oil-Rich Province". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Saudi king bringing rabbis, clerics together". NBC News. Madrid. AP. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  18. ^ a b Nathaniel Kern; Matthew M. Reed (15 November 2011). "Change and succession in Saudi Arabia". Middle East Policy Council. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  19. ^ Ghazanfar Ali Khan (30 October 2012). "We've a pious, capable king: Nayef". Arab News. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  20. ^ "Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz appointed Assistant to Prince Nayef". Royal Embassy, Washington D.C. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Crown Prince receives Saudi envoys in Cleveland". Ministry of Interior. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  22. ^ "Al Hadeethi and Al Marri relieved of their posts, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz and Al Rubaia replaced them". Saudi Agency Press. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  23. ^ "Crown Prince Receives U.S. Secretary of Defense". Saudi Press Agency. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  24. ^ "Prince Muqrin As I Have Known Him". Dar Al Hayat International. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  25. ^ "Beyond the crisis". Saudi Spanish Center for Islamic Economics and Finance. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  26. ^ "Board of Trustees". Arab Thought. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  27. ^ "Prince Saud bin Nayef chairs meeting of higher commission of Islamic studies prize". Gulf in the Media. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  28. ^ P.K. Abdul Ghafour (6 December 2011). "Saudi Arabia seeks global backing For Palestinians". Arab News. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  29. ^ "About us". Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  30. ^ Giselle C. Bricault, ed. (1993). "Saudi Arabia". Major Companies of the Arab World 1993/94. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 521. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1458-5_13. ISBN 978-1-85333-894-6.
  31. ^ "حفيد الملك المؤسس سفيراً لخادم الحرمين بالأردن الأمير خالد بن فيصل آل سعود يستعد لاستلام مهام عمله الجديد المزيد على دنيا الوطن". Al Watan (in Arabic). 21 October 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  32. ^ "Family Tree of Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  33. ^ "الأمير نايف يشرف حفل زواج الأمير فيصل بن سعود بن عبدالله الفيصل من كريمة الأمير سعود بن نايف". Al Riyadh (in Arabic). 4 October 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  34. ^ "الأمير نايف بن سلطان يحتفل بزواجه من كريمة الأمير سعود بن نايف". Al Riyadh (in Arabic). 10 December 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  35. ^ "Stables of Prince Muhammad bin Saud win in Italy". Saudi Press Agency. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  36. ^ Peter W. Wilson; Douglas Graham (1994). Saudi Arabia: The coming storm. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 1-56324-394-6.

External links edit

Political offices
Preceded by Governor of East Province
2013 – present
Succeeded by
Incumbent