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Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (c. 5 January 1931 – 22 October 2011) (, ''Sulṭān ibn ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Suʿūd''), called ''The generous Sultan'' (, ''Sulṭan al Khair'') in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, was the Saudi defense minister from 1963 to 2011 and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 2005 until his death in October 2011.


Early life and education

Sultan was born in Riyadh sometime between the mid to late 1920s to early 1930s, with the year being given as 1925, 1928, 1930, and 1931. He was the 15th son of
Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...
and his mother was Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He was the second of the Sudairi Seven, who also included Fahd, Nayef and Salman. Prince Sultan, along with many of his brothers, received his early education in religion, modern culture, and diplomacy at the royal court.


Early experience

His career in public service began in 1940 when he was made a deputy to
Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
governor or emir, Prince Nasser. In 1947, Prince Sultan replaced Prince Nasser as governor of Riyadh. Prince Sultan also assisted King Abdulaziz's attempts to establish a national administrative system based on the Islamic Sharia law during this period. In 1947, Prince Sultan oversaw ARAMCO's construction of the Kingdom's rail link between
Dammam Dammam (Arabic: الدمام ad-Dammām) is a city and governorate, and the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 1,386,166 as of 2022, making it the country's fifth- ...
and Riyadh. It was upon his advice King Abdulaziz ibn Saud ordered the dismantling of Riyadh's
city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...
in the early 1950s that eventually resulted in the expansion and urbanization of the town into a modern metropolis. He was appointed as the kingdom's first minister of agriculture in 1953 and minister of transport in 1955. Following the assassination of Lebanese prime minister, Riad Al Solh, in 1951 King Abdulaziz sent Prince Sultan to
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
to offer condolences to late prime minister's family. Although the direct military experience of Prince Sultan was brief, heading the Royal Guard in Riyadh in the early 1950s, he felt a lifelong connection to the military and the cause of Saudi independence from an early age. Major General Carl von Horn, Swedish commander of the UN observer mission during the Yemeni civil war, described the Prince Sultan as "a volatile and emotional young man" in the early days.


Minister of defense and aviation

In 1963, Crown Prince Faisal appointed Prince Sultan as minister of defense and aviation. He presided over the development of the Saudi armed forces. During the reign of King Faisal, Prince Sultan was particularly interested in Yemen. At the beginning of King Faisal's reign in 1964 Prince Sultan became a member of the council which had been established by the king to guide the succession issues. In the late 1966 Prince Sultan survived an assassination attempt by the revolutionary Yemenites who were assisted by Egyptian intelligence. His influence declined under the reign of King Khalid due to the fact that in 1977 Prince Sultan unsuccessfully tried to prevent Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz from becoming heir apparent when the king died. Sultan purchased U.S. tanks, fighter planes, missiles, and AWACS (airborne warning and control systems). However, as a result of problems assimilating technology within its armed forces, a relatively high proportion of the military equipment is stored or under maintenance, despite a large portion of Saudi's $34 billion defense budget being spent on maintaining military equipment. Sultan allegedly became extraordinarily wealthy from kickbacks by Western businesses that handled multibillion-dollar defense contracts. He was involved in many scandals, including the Al Yamamah deal. However, his influence remained unhindered until his health began to deteriorate. During his tenure, Saudi Arabia became the largest importer of U.S. arms, and he was a strong proponent of the U.S.-Saudi partnership. As well, Sultan authorized a deal with the
British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric, English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs, Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), the Bristol Aeroplane ...
(BAC) in 1965. His program, called Operation Magic Carpet, traded £16 million for six second-hand Lightnings, six
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...
s, and a set of missile launchers going to
Royal Saudi Air Force The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF; ) is the military aviation, aviation branch of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has wings, squadrons, and a special forces unit dedicated to comba ...
. Geoffrey Edwards served as the official intermediary. British pilots also came over, privately contracted. Prince Sultan was an expert on the Yemen civil war and Soviet involvement in the
Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
in 1985. In 1996, Prince Sultan opposed Pentagon plans to relocate U.S. troops to safer locations after the
Dhahran Dhahran (, ) is a city located in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. With a total population of 143,936 as of 2022, it is a major administrative center for the History of the oil industry in Saudi Arabia, Saudi ...
complex bombings. He visited
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
in May 1999 - his visit was the first official visit of a Saudi minister since 1979.


Second deputy prime minister

On 13 June 1982, after the death of King Khalid and Crown Prince Fahd became the King, Prince Sultan was appointed second deputy prime minister. Opposition to his appointment as second deputy prime minister came in particular from his elder half-brothers Musaid and Bandar. The objection of Prince Musaid was easily ignored since his son, Faisal bin Musaid, had assassinated King Faisal. However, the interests of Bandar bin Abdulaziz were much harder to ignore. Thus, he was compensated and the dispute was resolved. Prince Sultan, in December 1995, attempted to seize power through the support of the Ulema when Crown Prince Abdullah was in Oman for a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. However, his attempted coup failed. Prince Sultan was one of the members of the Al Saud Family Council established by Crown Prince Abdullah in June 2000 to discuss private issues such as business activities of princes and marriages of princess to individuals who were not members of the House of Saud.


Crown prince

On 1 August 2005, Sultan bin Abdulaziz was designated
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
despite having a discord with King Abdullah. During the same period he led the group called Sudairi Seven, being the eldest of the group after King Fahd's demise.


Various positions

During the 1970s Prince Sultan was one of the members of the inner family council which was led by King Khalid and included Sultan's brothers Prince Mohammed, Crown Prince Fahd, Prince Abdullah, and Prince Abdul Muhsin and his uncles Prince Ahmed and Prince Musaid. Prince Sultan was Saudi Arabia's inspector general. He was chairman of the board of Saudi Arabia's national airline, Saudi Arabian Airlines. As chairman, he approved a ban on smoking inside all Saudi airports. In 1986, he founded the Saudi National Commission for Wildlife Conservation. He was chairman of the Higher Council for Islamic Affairs, which financially supports Muslim communities around the world.


Scientific prizes sponsored by Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz

* Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz prize for water. He was the founder and patron of the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, a bi-annual international scientific award for water research created in 2002. * Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Chair for environmental engineering, department of civil engineering, King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals. It is the first chair in the university. * The scientific agreement between Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz and
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
for academic and cultural co-operation, which enables Saudi students for bachelor's, master and PhD degrees in the field of human sciences.


Charity works

Prince Sultan was known as "Sultan the Good" () in Saudi Arabia for his generosity. He played a role in many charitable works, including providing for the poor and people with special needs. He set up and funded the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation on 21 January 1995, with the aim of providing humanitarian services and medical services to people unable to afford the expenses. With the exception of his private residence and important necessities, he donated his possessions to the foundation. The foundation includes the following centers in different countries: *Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City **Sultan bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center **Charity housing projects **Sultan bin Abdulaziz Special Education Program at the
Arabian Gulf University Arabian Gulf University is a university in the city of Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is accredited by the Ministry of Education, Bahrain, and governed by Gulf Cooperative Countries, and is a member of Federation of the Universities o ...
in Bahrain **Prince Sultan Center for Speech and Hearing in
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
**King Abdulaziz Center for Islamic Studies at Bologna University **Sultan bin Abdulaziz Arab and Islamic Studies Program at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
*Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Private: Committee for Relief. This private committee organizes relief and medical convoys and sets up camps to combat diseases like Malaria and blindness. It has carried out several developmental, social and medical projects, like, digging wells, building schools, public libraries, mosques, hospitals, establishing dialysis centers. It also sponsors Muslim preachers in Ethiopia, Chad, Niger, Malawi, Mali, Comoro Islands, Djibouti and Indonesia. He inaugurated and served as the patron of Prince Sultan University in Riyadh. It was named in his honor by the university's parent institution, Al-Riyadh Philanthropic Society, which was founded by the prince's brother,
Salman of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; born 31 December 1935) has been King of Saudi Arabia since 2015, and was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the thron ...
, who would later become king. This is the first private/non-profit university established in the kingdom. In 2007, Prince Sultan was awarded the Medal of Human Honor for his charitable works. In April 2005, Sultan donated £2 million to the
Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...
. A year after his donations to establish an art museum, Oxford University agreed to 'expedite' the scholarship application process for Saudi students, and identify colleges for ten Saudi students from Prince Sultan University. When this arrangement became public, it led to criticism due to the donations bypassing Oxford's governing council, and breaching the admissions process for prospective students. A press release issued by Oxford University on 20 April 2005 said that:
HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has given the Ashmolean Museum a substantial donation to provide a fitting home for the Museum's internationally renowned collection of Islamic art. The total value of the gift is £2 million, which will also provide for ten scholarships at the University of Oxford for Saudi Arabian students.
The press release added further that ‘the new gallery, part of the ambitious redevelopment of one of the world’s oldest museums, will be named the “Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud Gallery”’. ''
Arab News ''Arab News'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. It is published from Riyadh. The target audiences of the paper, which is published in broadsheet format, are businesspeople, executives and diplomats. At least as ...
'' on 21 April 2005 reported that Sultan’s donation was a ‘move to promote understanding between Islam and the West’, adding that ‘Saudi and British officials’ had said that the new gallery ‘will help to portray Islamic culture and civilization in right perspectives.’


Controversy

In 2002, families of the victims of the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in the United States sued Prince Sultan and other senior Saudi officials for their alleged contributions to
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
linked charities. The lawsuits were thrown out by a US federal judge due to insufficient evidence submitted.


Personal life

Prince Sultan mostly married women who had a tribal background. He had thirty-two children by his multiple wives. His son Khalid bin Sultan, after Prince Sultan's death, was appointed deputy minister of defense and served in the post until 20 April 2013.
Bandar bin Sultan Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (; born 2 March 1949) is a member of the House of Saud, Saudi ruling family, a grandson of Ibn Saud, King Abdulaziz, military officer, and retired diplomat who served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States fr ...
was the former ambassador to the United States, the former secretary general of the national security council and the former head of the general intelligence directorate. Fahd bin Sultan is the governor of the Tabuk province. Salman bin Sultan, another son, is the former deputy defense minister. Faisal bin Sultan (born 1951) is the secretary general of Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation. His other sons are Turki (1959–2012), Nayef (born 1979), Badr (born 1980), Saud, Ahmad (born 1983), Nawwaf, Abdullah, Mishaal (born 1988), Mansour, Fawwaz, Abdulmajid and Abdul Ilah. * Prince Khalid bin Sultan. * Prince
Bandar bin Sultan Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (; born 2 March 1949) is a member of the House of Saud, Saudi ruling family, a grandson of Ibn Saud, King Abdulaziz, military officer, and retired diplomat who served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States fr ...
. * Prince Fahd bin Sultan. * Prince Turki bin sultan (1959–2012). * Prince Faisal bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Mudhawi bint Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Saud. He has two sons and two daughters named, Prince Mohammed (married to the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Prince Khalid, Princess Nouf and princess Sarah. * Prince Salman bin Sultan. * Prince Nayef bin Sultan (born 1979). He is married to Princess Jawaher bint Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has daughters: Princess Nouf, Princess Alia, and Princess Lulwa. * Prince Badr bin sultan (born 1980). * Prince Saud bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Mishaal bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has three children: Princess Lulwa, Prince Faisal, and Prince Nayef. * Prince Nawaf bin Sultan. Married to Princess Al Hanouf bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has children: Prince Khalid, Prince Abdullah, Princess Al Anoud, Princess Sarah, and Princess Fahda. * Prince Ahmed bin Sultan (nicknamed Sahm) is born in 1983. * Prince Mansour bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Maha bint Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has a daughter, Princess Lulwa. * Prince Abdullah bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Reem bint Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Malik Al Sheikh and has three children: Prince Sultan, Princess Basma, and Princess Noura. * Prince Mishaal bin Sultan (born 1988). He is married to Princess Noura bint Fahd bin Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has three children: Princess Moudi, Prince Sultan, and Princess Nouf. * Prince Fawwaz bin Sultan. Married to Princess Abeer bint Khalid bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud - granddaughter of Princess Lulwa bint Abdulaziz Al Saud - and has Princess Reema, Prince Abdulaziz, and Princess Lulwa. * Prince Abdul-Ilah bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Noura bint Fahd bin Badr bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has two children: Prince Sultan and Princess Arej. * Prince Abdul Majeed bin Sultan Prince Sultan had fifteen daughters, the oldest of whom is Nouf bint Sultan. One of his daughters, Reema, is the spouse of Muhammad bin Nayef, former Crown Prince. His other daughter, Noura bint Sultan, married Turki bin Nasser. Another daughter, Munira bint Sultan, who was
Faisal bin Fahd Faisal bin Fahd Al Saud (; 26 December 1946 – 21 August 1999) was the president of Youth Welfare in Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1999. He was a member of the House of Saud, a son of King Fahd, and one of the grandsons of Saudi's founder King Ab ...
's spouse, died in June 2011 at age 59. * Princess Nouf bint Sultan * Princess Jawaher bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ). * Princess Bandari bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Saad I bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and has children: Prince Turki, Princess Ghada and Prince Nayef). * Princess Lulwa bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Khalid bin Saad bin Fahd bin Saad I Abdul Rahman Al Saud ). * Princess Latifa bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Prince Turki, Prince Saud (married to Princess Adwaa bint Abdulaziz bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), Princess Al Anoud (married to Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Lulwa (married to Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdul Ilah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), Princess Mudawi, and Princess Dalil. * Princess Munira bint Sultan (deceased at the age of fifty-nine). (Was married to Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Princess Haifa (married to Prince Saud bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud), Shahinaz (married to Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud), Nasreen (married to Prince Faisal bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), and Prince Nawaf (married to Moudi bint Ahmed bin Musaed bin Ahmed Al Sudairi). * Princess Noura bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud). And has children; Princess Abeer (Divorced from Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Arej (Married to Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz bin Thunayan Al Saud), Princess Lamia, Princess Reema (Married to Prince Fahd bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Haifa and Prince Abdullah. * Princess Atab bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Saud ). And has children; Prince Mohammed (who was married to Princess Madawi bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Prince Bandar, Prince Fahd (who was married to Princess Madawi bint Muhammad bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), and Princess Noura. * Princess Reema bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Princess sarah (was married to Prince Saud bin Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir), and Lulwa (Married to Prince Nayef bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud). * Princess Sarah bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Fahd bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir ). And has children; Prince Mohammed, Nayef, and Saud. * Princess Daad bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Sattam bin Khalid bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). * Princess Abir bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Bandar bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has one son, Prince Nasser. * Princess Dima bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Fahd bin Saad bin Fahd bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). * Princess Al Anoud bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Nawaf bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and they have two daughters: Princess Dima and Princess Nouf). * Princess Mishaal bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and married to Prince Abdulaziz bin Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in April 2018. They have two children: Prince Saud, born in January 2019, and Princess Sarah, born in 2021).


Wives

* Khiziran, a concubine from Ethiopia, was the mother of his eldest son prince Bandar. * Munira bint Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi (deceased), mother of Prince Fahd, Prince Turki, Prince Faisal, Princess Nouf, Princess Jawaher, Princess Bandari, Princess Lulwa, and Princess Latifa. * Huda bint Abdullah Al Sheikh, mother of Prince Nayef, Prince Badr, Prince Saud, Prince Nawaf, Prince Mansour, Princess Al-Anoud, and Prince Abdullah. * Sita bint Juwaid Al-Damir Al-Ajami (divorced), mother of prince Salman. * Al-Bandari bint Sunt bin Banin Al-Dhiabi Al-Otaibi (divorced), mother of Prince Ahmed. * Mounira bint Mishaal bin Saud Al Rashid (deceased), mother of his two daughters Princess Noura and Princess Munira. * Mouda bint Salman Al Mandeel Al Khaldi (divorced), mother of Prince Mishaal and Princess Mishael. * Leila Al Thunayan (divorced), mother of Princess Atab, Princess Rima, and Princess Sarah. * Areej bint Salem Al Maree, mother of his youngest two sons, Prince Abdulmajid and Abdul Ilah. * Hussa bint Muhammed bin Abdulaziz bin Turki (divorced), mother of Princess Daad. * Jowaher bint Mohammed bin Saud bin Nasser Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced), mother of Princess Dima. * Nawal Al-Kahimi (divorced), mother of Princess Abeer. * Abir bint Fahd Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced), mother of Fawwaz. * Tarfah bint Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Aldakhil * Mouda bint Saud Al Kabeer Al Saud (divorced) * Dina bint Abdulhamid Alsahhaf (divorced) * Maha bint Abdullah Albanyan (divorced) * Ghadir bint Shawaan Al Shibani (divorced) * Mashail bint Mamdouh Al Ali


Characteristics

Prince Sultan was regarded by the House of Saud as a workaholic. He doled out money at banquets in keeping with tribal customs. A conservative, it was expected that he would have put a brake on King Abdullah's timid reforms. Sultan was considered to be pro-American.


Views

Sultan took a lifetime
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
and
anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism or anti-Soviet sentiment are activities that were actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the Soviet Union. Three common uses of the term include the following: * Anti-Sovietism in inter ...
view, based on his dislike of Soviet
state atheism State atheism or atheist state is the incorporation of hard atheism or non-theism into Forms of government, political regimes. It is considered the opposite of theocracy and may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments ...
as well as Soviet interest in Gulf oil and access to ports that he felt risked Saudi independence. He rebuked U.S. President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
for what he saw as "pusillanimity" in the face of the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...
. In a 23 October 2001 interview in Kuwaiti newspaper '' As Seyassa'', concerning 9/11 attacks, Sultan stated “Who stands behind this terrorism and who carried out this complicated and carefully planned terrorist operation? Osama bin Laden and those with him have said what indicates that they stand behind this carefully planned act. We, in turn, ask: Are bin Laden and his supporters the only ones behind what happened or is there another power with advanced technical expertise that acted with them?”.


Wealth and property

Prince Sultan's wealth in 1990 was reported to be $1.2 billion. In 1993 ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'' magazine cited him as the 34th rich person in the world with $4.0 billion wealth. Later, his fortune was estimated at $270 billion, which he distributed between his sons prior to his death in October 2011 in order to support their political position in the competitive princely arena. Prince Sultan owned 2–8a Rutland Gate, the former London residence of the Lebanese politician and businessman
Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed fi ...
. Prince Sultan had been given the property after Hariri's assassination in 2005. Documents in the
Paradise Papers The Paradise Papers are a set of over 13.4 million confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investments that were leaked to the German reporters Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, from the newspaper'' Süddeutsche Z ...
release show Prince Sultan used the law firm Appleby at the center of the use of offshore businesses and trusts by world leaders.


Health issues

Prince Sultan was rumored to have had colon cancer in 2003. A foreign correspondent was forced to leave the country after reporting his health problems. In 2004, Prince Sultan was diagnosed with
colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
and underwent several corrective surgeries. He underwent an operation to remove an intestinal polyp in
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
in 2005. Prince Sultan visited a Swiss clinic in late April 2008. In April 2009, he began to suffer from
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. He was reported to be suffering dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease.


Morocco vacation

In February 2009, Sultan spent several months in New York City at New York–Presbyterian Hospital and underwent surgery in New York. He then convalesced at
Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...
, Morocco. He went back to Saudi Arabia, but soon returned to Morocco in August 2009. During his vacation, the Saudi cabinet increased officer salaries, a traditional domain of Sultan. In 2009, King Abdullah took charge of all defense purchases and reduced the power of the Defense Ministry. In October 2010, Abdullah personally conducted much of the negotiations for the U.S. arms package worth over $60 billion. In November 2010, Sultan received in Agadir Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to discuss the future of Lebanon's government. He had been receiving treatment since 2009 for what analysts and diplomats believed to be cancer. At the end of November 2010, he returned to Saudi Arabia because King Abdullah had left for the United States for surgery. His return was seen as a legal formality necessary under Saudi law, which stipulates that only one of the kingdom's top two officials can be abroad at a given time.


Death and funeral

The Saudi Royal court announced on 22 October 2011 that Prince Sultan died at dawn of an unspecified illness. According to media reports, Prince Sultan had been battling cancer and had been seeking medical treatment in the United States since mid-June 2011. He had a surgical operation in New York in July 2011. Unnamed U.S. officials cited by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' stated that he died at
New York-Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (abbreviated as NYP) is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City. It is the primary teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The hospit ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, New York City. His body was taken from New York City to Riyadh on 24 October 2011. His funeral was held at the
Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque (), also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh, is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to al-Hukm Palace compound, in Deera Square. It wa ...
in Riyadh on 25 October 2011 in the presence of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. He was buried in Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh. Various leaders, including the president of Afghanistan, Farouk Al Sharaa, the vice-president of Syria, the Iranian foreign minister and the head of Egypt's ruling military council, participated in the funeral. Additionally, other statesmen went to Riyadh to offer their condolences, such as the US Vice President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, Pakistani President
Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...
and Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak (, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. In 2020, he was convicted of corruption in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, on ...
.


Honours

Among others, Prince Sultan was the recipient of the following honours and medals: *
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
(May 1967) * National Order of Chad, First Class (1972) * Order of the Lion of Senegal (1972) *
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
, First Class (19 July 1997) *
Order of King Abdulaziz The Order of King Abdulaziz (Arabic: وسام الملك عبد العزيز Wisām al-malik ‘Abd al-‘Azīz) is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state. History In 1971 ...
(1973; First Class). * National Order of Merit (1973; Grand Class) * Order of the Liberator, First Class (Venezuela, 1975) * Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.M.N.) (Malaysia; 1982) * Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malaysia; 2000) He was also posthumously given the King Khalid award in 2011.


Ancestry


References


External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Sultan Abdulaziz
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
1928 births 2011 deaths Burials at Al Oud cemetery
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit Saudi heirs apparent who never acceded Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People named in the Panama Papers Recipients of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Saudi Arabian anti-communists Saudi Arabian Sunni Muslims
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Survivors of terrorist attacks Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Sudan