Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud (; 21 March 1934 – 8 July 2012) was a Saudi royal and politician. He was a son of

King Saud Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969) was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 a ...

and one of the grandsons of

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 ...

's founder

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'', ...

. He served as the

Saudi Arabian minister of defense The Ministry of Defense (MoD; ) is a Ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for the protection of national security, interests and sovereignty of the country from external threats as well as the working with all ministries of the state to ...

from 1960 to 1962, during his father's reign. Later, Prince Muhammed was the governor of

Al Bahah Province Al-Baha Province, also known as Al-Baha Region ( ' ), also spelled as Al-Bahah, is a province in Saudi Arabia. It is the smallest province in the country by both area and population. History History of the Province Before Islam The provin ...

from 1987 to 2010.

Early life

Prince Muhammed was born in Riyadh on 21 March 1934. He was the son of King Saud and Baraka Al Raziqi Al Alma'i, a woman from

Asir Asir, officially the Aseer Province, is a province of Saudi Arabia in southern Arabia. It has an area of , and an estimated population of 2,024,285 (in 2022). Asir is bounded by the Mecca Province to the north and west, al-Bahah Province to the ...

in southwest Saudi Arabia. Prince Muhammed had a full brother, Saad bin Saud.

Career

During the reign of his father, King Saud, Prince Muhammed held many governmental positions. He began his service as the chief of the Royal Court. Then he was appointed to the

Saudi Royal Guard Regiment The Saudi Arabian Royal Guard () is a unit in the Saudi military forces. Originally an independent military force, the Royal Guards were incorporated into the Armed Forces since its inception until 1953. It is not to be confused with the SANG. ...

in 1953. Later, he was appointed as the minister of national defense and aviation and inspector general in December 1960, succeeding his brother Fahd bin Saud in the post. Prince Muhammed was named the

minister of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

on 11 September 1961 when King Saud fired

Talal bin Abdulaziz Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ''Ṭalāl bin ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Saʿūd''; 15 August 1931 – 22 December 2018), formerly also called ''The Red Prince'', was a Saudi Arabian politician, dissident, businessman, and philanthropist. A member of the ...

from the post. However, he held the post for only six days. His term as finance minister was extended on 15 March 1962. His tenure ended on 31 October 1962. Prince Muhammed served as the deputy governor of the

Al Bahah Al-Baha or Al-Bahah (Arabic: الباحة) is a city and governorate in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, located in the Sarawat Mountains. It is the capital of Al-Baha Province and is considered one of the country's notable tourist destinations. ...

province until 1987. Next, he served as the governor of this province from September 1987 to 2010. He resigned from the post due to health-problems. His half-brother Mishari bin Saud replaced him in the post.

Political rehabilitation

Prince Muhammed was among King Saud's most important supporters during the latter's reign. Following a power struggle between King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal, the latter became the king on 25 November 1964, and Prince Muhammed pledged his allegiance to King Faisal. He was the first of King Saud's sons to do so, reportedly because he was married to King Faisal's daughter, Princess Sara. Following his rehabilitation, Prince Muhammed held several important positions until 2010.

Other positions

Prince Muhammed was a member of the

Allegiance Council The Allegiance Council ( ''Hay’at al-Bay‘ah''), also known as the Allegiance Commission or Allegiance Institution or Succession Commission, is the body responsible for determining future succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia. It was forme ...

from 2007 to his death on 8 July 2012. He was also a member of King Saud Foundation based in Jeddah. Prince Muhammed had various business activities, too.

Personal life and education

One of Prince Muhammed's spouses was Princess Sara bint Faisal, the daughter of King Faisal. They had no children. Prince Muhammed had four children with his other wives: Prince Faisal (born 11 September 1951), Prince Khalid, Prince Mishaal (born 24 August 1956) and Princess Noura. Prince Faisal bin Muhammed received a PhD degree. He was appointed the deputy governor of Al Bahah province on 31 October 1988.

Death and funeral

On 8 July 2012, the Saudi Royal Court announced that Prince Muhammed had died in Riyadh. He was 78. Prince

Salman bin Abdulaziz 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 ...

(later King of Saudi Arabia) performed funeral prayer for him after Maghrib (sunset) prayer on 10 July 2012 at

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. Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Sheikh led the funeral prayer as Imam.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Muhammed Saud 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 21st-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1934 births 2012 deaths Burials at Al Oud cemetery Defense ministers of Saudi Arabia Finance ministers of Saudi Arabia Governors of Al-Bahah Province Sons of Saud of Saudi Arabia