Saud bin Abdul Muhsin Al Saud (; born 1947) is a Saudi royal, grandson 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'', ...

, diplomat, and former politician. He served as the governor of Ha'il Province between 1999 and April 2017. In March 2021, he was appointed Saudi ambassador to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Early life and education

Saud was born in 1947. He is the eldest son of Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz who was interior minister in

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 ...

's cabinet in 1961. Prince Abdul Muhsin was part of the

Free Princes Movement The Free Princes Movement () was a Saudi liberal political movement that existed from 1958 to 1964. Its members were known as the Young Najd (Najd al-Fattah in Arabic), Free Princes, and Liberal Princes. Establishment The movement was founded b ...

, led by Prince Talal. Prince Saud attended the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. He also holds a degree in business administration.

Career

Prince Saud held several government positions beginning as the director of health and housing department in the ministry of health from 1970 to 1973. Other positions he held include director general in the ministry of health from 1973 to 1976; deputy governor of

Makkah Province Mecca Province (, ), officially Makkah Province, 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 2017, of which 4,041,189 were foreign nationals a ...

from 1976 to 1992 and acting governor of Makkah Province from 1992 to 1999. He was also president of the Supreme Commission for Hail Development and head of the Supreme Commission of the Hail Rally. He is 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 ...

. Prince Saud's term as the governor of Hail Province ended on 23 April 2017 when Abdulaziz bin Saad Al Saud was named as the new governor. In March 2021 King Salman appointed him ambassador to Portugal. He replaced Adel bin Abdulrahman Bakhsh who had been in the post since January 2017.

Personal life

Saud has been married four times. He is married to Hala al Sheikh. His marriage to Lolowah bint Faisal was an attempt to strengthen the bonds between his father Prince Abdul Muhsin and the Al Saud family due to his involvement in

. He enjoys traditional

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

customs of

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

, as well as western sports including tennis.

Marriages

* Princess Lolowah bint Faisal Al Saud (divorced) * Princess Bonaiah bint Fahd bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (daughter of Princess Mishael bint Abdulaziz) * Princess Hala bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Sheikh * Princess Assia bint Abduljalil bin Mohamed (Moroccan wife)

BBC documentary

In 2008, Saud was the subject of a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about modern Saudi Arabia, ''Inside the Saudi Kingdom,'' in which a film crew led by Lionel Mill was given unique access to follow the prince for a month in his daily work. He concluded that the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

needed to learn that "you can only change people as much as they want to be changed and we do not want to be Westernized."

Cyprus visa

Following his removal from the post as the governor of Hail province, Saud applied for golden visa issued by

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

in December 2017. In May 2020 his application was approved.

Honour

Foreign honour

* Honorary Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(P.S.M.) (1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Saud Abdul Muhsin 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 21st-century Saudi Arabian diplomats 1947 births Living people Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Portugal Honorary commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Governors of provinces of Saudi Arabia Saud Abdul Muhsin