Khalid Al-Faisal
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Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud ( ar, خالد بن فيصل ال سعود ''Khālid bin Fayṣal Āl Suʿūd''; born 24 February 1940) is a Saudi Arabian politician, artist, and poet who is the governor of
Makkah Province The Mecca Province ( ar, مِنْطَقَة مَكَّة '), also known as the Mecca Region, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the third-largest province by area at and the most populous with a population of 8,557,766 as of 201 ...
, in office from 2007 to 2013 and again since 2015. He was the Saudi minister of education from 2013 to 2015. He was also the governor of
Asir Province Asir Province was once a province of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-l ...
from 1971 to 2007. He served as the adviser to King Salman.


Early life and education

Prince Khalid was born in Makkah on 24 February 1940. He is the third son of King Faisal. His mother is Haya bint Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Turki. Prince Khalid's full siblings are Prince Saad and Princess Noura. In 1948, Prince Khalid attended Model School in Taif to receive secondary education. Like King Faisal's other children, Prince Khalid was educated abroad after completing secondary education in Saudi Arabia. He attended the Hun School of Princeton in New Jersey and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political economy from the University of Oxford in 1966.


Political career

After returning to Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid served as director general of the Presidency of Youth Welfare in the ministry of labor and social affairs in 1967. His term lasted until April 1971 when he was appointed as governor of Asir Province, replacing Fahd bin Saad in the post. Khalid was governor of the province until 2007. He was credited with bringing the province a measure of modernity and prosperity. At the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, he sought to use its natural beauty and cool climate to attract Arab tourists. But many inhabitants were resentful that the oil-based welfare state had not provided for them. As governor, he held
majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...
, open-house meeting with citizens, twice a day. The region also had its first telephone line under his governorship. According to a leaked WikiLeaks cable, Prince Khalid went to extraordinary lengths to renovate his late father's palace to host a party for
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
during his 2006 visit. The cable revealed that at the time Khalid had been living in the old palace which was in dire need of renovation. He directed a Western business associate to renovate the palace in three weeks and rewarded the businessman with $13,000 when Prince Charles was impressed. Khalid then built a new palace while the old palace was converted into a university. On 16 May 2007, Khalid was appointed governor of
Makkah Province The Mecca Province ( ar, مِنْطَقَة مَكَّة '), also known as the Mecca Region, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the third-largest province by area at and the most populous with a population of 8,557,766 as of 201 ...
by King Abdullah, replacing Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz who died in office. The province includes the Muslim holy city of Makkah and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia,
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
. In 2010, he ordered hotels, restaurants, shops and wedding halls in the province to drop all their non- Arabic names and use Arabic only for signboards. As governor, he played a major role in managing the annual
Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
in Makkah. According to leaked diplomatic cables, he visited Beirut in 2009 to meet with Lebanese parliamentarians. In June 2011, Prince Khalid presided at the opening of the
Rabigh Rabigh ( ar, رَابِغ, translit=Rābigh) is a city and governorate in the Province of Makkah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Red Sea, around northwest of Mecca in the historic Hejazi region. The city had an estim ...
's expansion of its desalination plant. On 22 December 2013, he was appointed as minister of education, replacing
Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud ( ar, فيصل بن عبدالله آل سعود, Fayṣal bin ʿAbdullāh Āl Saʿūd; born 23 July 1978) is a member of House of Saud and was head of the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent Society. He has been in detention ...
in the post. On 29 January 2015, Prince Khalid was appointed once again the governor of Makkah Province by King Salman.


Other roles

Prince Khalid is managing director of the King Faisal Foundation a large philanthropic and charitable organisation. The Foundation runs Alfaisal University in Riyadh where Prince Khalid is the chairman of the board of trustees, and also runs
Effat University Effat University ( ar, جامعة عفّت) is a private non-profit institution of higher education for men and women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, operating under ...
in Jeddah where Prince Khalid is a member of the board of trustees. He is the founder and current president of the organisation
Painting and Patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
. In addition, he is a member of Allegiance Council. Prince Khalid is also the president of the
Arab Thought Foundation The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
.


Influence

Prince Khalid is believed to be respected in the family, appreciated for his combination of both modern and traditional sensibilities. In 2010 he was mentioned as a future king when
succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...
in the Al Saud passes on to the grandsons of King Abdulaziz. He was also considered to be among the possible contenders after
Prince Nayef Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, ''Nāyif ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd''; 1934 – 16 June 2012) was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and deputy prime minister from October 2011 and the min ...
's death in June 2012. However, the other sons of King Faisal,
Turki bin Faisal Turki bin Faisal Al Saud ( ar, تركي بن فيصل آل سعود, Turkī ibn Fayṣal Āl Su‘ūd; tr, Türki bin Faysal Al Suud) (born 15 February 1945), known also as Turki Al Faisal, is a Saudi prince and former government official who se ...
and Saud bin Faisal, were said to be regarded unfavourably within the royal family due to their perceived air of intellectual superiority. On the other hand, Prince Khalid might have advantages over brothers as a result of his long-term tenure as governor in that he is well known to the public.


Views and alliances

Khalid Al Faisal criticized negative coverage of Saudi Arabia by the Western media. He spoke out against misconceptions that characterize Saudi society as backwards and uneducated. During his tenure in Asir province, he was close to then Crown Prince Abdullah.


Personal interests

Prince Khalid is an avid painter, poet and patron of the arts. In 1999, he founded Painting and Patronage to "build and foster valuable bridges of cultural, artistic and educational understanding between the Arab world and the international community". While he was governor of Asir, Khalid founded the Literary Club of Abha, the Abha Singing Festival, the Abha Prize for cultural excellence, and the Al-Miftaha Visual Arts Village in the capital city Abha. As governor of Makkah, he established the Cultural Council of Makkah. He is a close friend of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is a supporter of artistic painting.


Personal life

Prince Khalid is married to Al Anoud bint Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. Her mother is Noura bint Saud bin Abdulaziz, a daughter of King Saud. Her father, Abdullah, is a son of
Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Pengiran Mohammad (born 1948), pen name Zairis M.S., is a Bruneian politician and writer in the Government of Brunei whole formerly took office as the second Minister of Religious Affairs from 2010 to 2015, and Deputy Minister of Education from ...
who is King Abdulaziz's step brother. Prince Khalid's eldest son, Prince Bandar, is the chairman of the board of directors of '' Al Watan,'' a reformist newspaper. His second son, Prince Sultan is a naval officer in Saudi army. His third and youngest son Prince Saud is the former deputy governor for investment affairs at the
Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority The Ministry of Investment (MISA) (), till 2020 as the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) (), is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that oversees foreign investment in the country besides issuing licenses to foreign investors. I ...
(SAGIA).


Honours and awards


Foreign honours

* Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the
Royal Order of Francis I The Royal Order of Francis I (properly 'The Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies' it, Reale Ordine di Francesco I) was an extinct order of merit of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which was annexed in 1861 by the King of Italy (u ...
* Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Prince Henry the Navigator The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of t ...
(Portugal) * National Order of the Montenegrin Great Star, First Class (Montenegro)


Awards

Khalid bin Faisal was celebrated by the World Travel Awards as the World Travel Personality of the Year in 2010. This award is given to a personality whose achievements support the industry. He was named the best Arab personality in the field of solving issues related to Arab youth in 2012. The award was given by the Arab Youth Media Forum, which is currently being held in Manama under the sponsorship of Bahrain’s King
Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999. He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
. In 2015, Prince Khalid was named the Cultural Personality of the Year by the Sharjah International Book Fair.


Ancestry


References


External links


KhalidAlFaisal.org
Lithograph Collection
Painting & PatronageOfficial biography
at the Government of Makkah * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Khalid Faisal
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
1940 births Alumni of the University of Oxford
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Hun School of Princeton alumni Living people
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.