Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (, ''ʿAbd ar Raḥman ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd''; 1931 – 13 July 2017) was a senior member of the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling ...

and Saudi Arabian deputy minister of defense and aviation. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living member of the Sudairi Seven.

Early life and education

Abdul Rahman was born in 1931 as the sixteenth son of

King Abdulaziz 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 third son of Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He was the first of King Abdulaziz's sons to study in the West and received a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from 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 ...

. He also graduated from the California Military Academy.

Career

Prince Abdul Rahman was the counsellor for royal family affairs during the mid-1970s. He replaced his brother, Prince Turki, as the deputy minister of defense and aviation in 1978 when Turki resigned. Prince Abdul Rahman also involved in business activities. During Prince Sultan’s absence from the Kingdom for medical treatment, he increased his activity at the ministry. Abdul Rahman was often described as becoming more irritable with age. He was relieved from his post as deputy minister on 5 November 2011. According to ''

Al-Quds Al-Arabi ''al-Quds al-Arabi'' () is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper, published in London since 1989 and owned by Palestinian expatriates. According to news reports in 2013, it is now owned by Qatar media interests, through intermediaries. The pa ...

'', he was dismissed by King Abdullah when, unhappy at being bypassed as crown prince in favor of Prince Nayef, he refused to declare allegiance to Nayef.

Views and succession

Following the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, Prince Abdul Rahman, as deputy defense minister, objected to the request of Prince

Khalid bin Sultan Khalid bin Sultan Al Saud (; born 24 September 1949) is the former deputy minister of defense, a member of the House of Saud, and a grandson of King Abdulaziz. Early life and education Prince Khalid was born on 24 September 1949. He is the olde ...

to be named as the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Saudi army.

Personal life and death

Prince Abdul Rahman married Maha Al Ibrahim, sister of King Fahd's wife Al Jawhara Al Ibrahim and Al Ibrahim's brothers (including Waleed Al Ibrahim). Another wife was Munira bint Turki bin Ahmed Al Sudairi. His son-in-law is

Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Sha'lan Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Shaalan Al Ruwaily (born 1956) () is a Saudi Arabian diplomat and businessman. As a grandson of Prince Nuri Al-Shaalan, Nayef is a prince and a member of the House of Al-Shaalan. Business career Nayef invested in the oil bus ...

. One of Abdul Rahman's son, Mohammed, was named the deputy governor of Riyadh in 2017. Abdul Rahman died on 13 July 2017 at the age of 86. Funeral prayers were performed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on 15 July, and he was buried at Al Adl cemetery. One of his sons, Saud, died in November 2021, just a few years after Abdul Rahman.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Abdul Rahman Abdulaziz Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahman 1931 births 2017 deaths Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahman University of California, Berkeley alumni