Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud

Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: خالد الفيصل بن عبد العزيز آل سعود‎) (born 24 February 1940) is the governor of Makkah Province in Saudi Arabia. He has governed the Makkah region twice, from 2007 to 2013 and again since 2015. He was the minister of education from 2013 to 2015. He was also the governor of Asir Province from 1971 to 2007. He is a member of the House of Saud. He served as the adviser to King Salman.[1]

Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz
Governor of Makkah Region
Assumed office
29 January 2015
MonarchKing Salman
Preceded byMishaal bin Abdullah Al Saud
Minister of Education
In office
22 December 2013 – 29 January 2015
MonarchKing Abdullah
King Salman
Preceded byFaisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud
Succeeded byAzzam bin Mohammad Al Dakheel
Governor of Makkah Region
In office
16 May 2007 – 22 December 2013
MonarchKing Abdullah
Preceded byAbdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz
Succeeded byMishaal bin Abdullah Al Saud
Governor of Asir Region
In office
1971–2007
MonarchKing Faisal
King Khalid
King Fahd
King Abdullah
Succeeded byFaisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Personal details
Born (1940-02-24) 24 February 1940
Riyadh, Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia
Spouse(s)Al Anoud bint Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
Children
House
MotherHaya bint Turki bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Turki Al Saud
FatherKing Faisal

Early life and education

Prince Khalid was born in Makkah on 24 February 1940.[2][3] He is the third son of King Faisal. His mother is Haya bint Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Turki, a member of Al Turki clan.[4] Prince Khalid's blood siblings were Prince Saad and Princess Noura.[5]

In 1948, Prince Khalid attended Model School in Taif to receive secondary education.[2] 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.[6][7]

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.[7] His term lasted until April 1971 when he was appointed as governor of Asir Province.[2] Khalid was governor of the province from 1971 to 2007.[7] 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.[8]

As governor, he held majlis, open-house meeting with citizens, twice a day.[9] The region also had its first telephone line under his governorship.[10]

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 during his 2006 visit.[11][12] 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.[13]

On 16 May 2007, Khalid was appointed governor of Makkah Province by King Abdullah,[14] replacing Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz who died in office.[15] The province includes the Muslim holy city of Makkah and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah. 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.[16]

As governor, he played a major role in managing the annual Hajj in Makkah.[17] According to leaked diplomatic cables, he visited Beirut in 2009 to meet with Lebanese parliamentarians.[18] In June 2011, Prince Khalid presided at the opening of the Rabigh's expansion of its desalination plant.[19]

On 22 December 2013, he was appointed as minister of education, replacing Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud in the post.[20] 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.[7] The Foundation runs Alfaisal University in Riyadh where Prince Khalid is the chairman of the board of trustees,[21] and also runs Effat University 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.[22] In addition, he is a member of Allegiance Council.[23] Prince Khalid is also the president of the Arab Thought Foundation.[24]

Influence

Prince Khalid is believed to be respected in the family appreciated for his combination of both modern and traditional sensibilities.[25]

He has been mentioned as a future king when succession in the Al Saud passes on to the grandsons of King Abdulaziz.[26] He was also considered to be among the possible contenders after Prince Nayef's death in June 2012.[27][28] However, the other sons of King Faisal, Turki bin Faisal and Saud bin Faisal, were said to be regarded unfavourably within the royal family due to their perceived air of intellectual superiority.[29] On the other hand, Prince Khalid may have advantages over brothers as a result of his long-term tenure as governor in that he is well known to the public.[30]

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.[31] During his tenure in Asir province, he was close to then Crown Prince Abdullah.[32]

Personal interests

Prince Khalid is an avid painter,[26] poet and patron of the arts.[7] 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".[33] 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.[7] As governor of Makkah, he established the Cultural Council of Makkah.[7]

He is a close friend of Prince Charles who is a supporter of artistic painting.[26]

Personal life

Prince Khalid is married to Al Anoud bint Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. [34][35][36] Her mother is Nura bint Saud bin Abdulaziz, a daughter of King Saud. Her father, Abdullah, is a son of Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman who is King Abdulaziz's step brother.[37]

Prince Khalid's eldest son, Prince Bandar, is the chairman of the board of directors of Al Watan, a reformist newspaper.[38] 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 (SAGIA).[39]

Honours and awards

Foreign honours

Awards

Khalid al 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.[42]

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.[43] In 2015, Prince Khalid was named the Cultural Personality of the Year by the Sharjah International Book Fair.[1]

Ancestry

References
  1. "Poet Prince Khalid Al Faisal named cultural personality of the year by SIBF". Eye of Riyadh. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. Sharaf Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in commerce: A study of royal entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I.S. Publications. ISBN 81-901254-0-0.
  3. Saima Rehman (22 March 2015). "Prince Khaled Al-Faisal – A Royal Inspiration". Destination Jeddah. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  4. Mordechai Abir (1988). Saudi Arabia in the Oil Era: Regime and Elites: Conflict and Collaboration. Kent: Croom Helm. ISBN 9780709951292.
  5. Joseph A. Kechichian (2014). 'Iffat Al Thunayan: an Arabian Queen. Sussex Academic Press. p. 64.
  6. Neil MacFarquhar (13 September 2002). "Threats and responses; 'Feeling of Frustration' Makes Arab World an Explosive Region". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  7. "Biography". HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  8. Caryle Murphy; David B. Ottoway (25 September 2001). "Some Light Shed on Saudi Suspects. Many Raised in Area of Religious Dissent" (PDF). The Washington Post. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  9. Youssef M. Ibrahim (2 April 1989). "Abha Journal; Saudi Leaders Lend an Ear to Anyone". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  10. "Saudi Oil Billions Gush into Islamic Tradition". Tyrone Daily Herald. National Geographic Service. 5 November 1980. p. 11. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  11. Colum Lynch (2 December 2010). "Foreign Policy: The Mixed Bag of Royal Diplomacy". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  12. "Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla visit Saudi Arabia". Agence France Presse. Orange. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  13. "Tales of a Prince: CG Meets with Governor of Asir". WikiLeaks. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  14. "About Saudi Arabia". Saudi Embassy, Washington D.C. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  15. "Appointment Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as Governor of Makkah". Saudi Press Agency. 16 May 2001. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  16. Ibtisam Sheqdar (9 October 2010). "Makkah governor gives six months to change non-Arabic signs". Arab News. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  17. Riazat Butt (18 November 2010). "Saudi emir admits concerns over hajj". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  18. "Asad's visit: Saudi-Syrian Rapprochement back on track?". WikiLeaks. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  19. Michael Palmer. (2 June 2011). Rabigh desal plant Phase 2 expansion complete Utilities. Retrieved 6 December 2013
  20. Saudi King Appoints New Minister of Education Al Arabiya. 22 December 2013
  21. "Board of Trustees". Alfaisal University. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  22. "President". Painting and Patronage. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  23. "King Abdullah names members of the Allegiance Commission". Saudi Embassy Washington. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  24. "Beyond borders". Jeddah Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  25. Joshua Teitelbaum (1 November 2011). "Saudi Succession and Stability" (PDF). BESA Center. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  26. Simon Henderson (22 October 2010). "Foreign Policy: A Prince's Mysterious Disappearance". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  27. Thomas W. Lippman (16 June 2012). "Saudi Arabia Moves Closer to A New Generation of Leaders". Al Monitor. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  28. "10 Saudi Royals Who Could Become the Next Crown Prince". Riyadh Bureau. 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  29. Simon Henderson (August 2009). "After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. p. 18. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  30. J. E. Peterson (Autumn 2001). "The Nature of succession in the Gulf" (PDF). Middle East Journal. 55 (4): 580–601. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  31. Muhammad Humaidan (11 September 2010). "Bad press for Saudi growth denounced". Arab News. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  32. "The Late Saudi King Fahd: A Mixed Legacy". Wikileaks. 1 August 2005. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  33. "About Us". Painting and Patronage. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  34. "Effat University 10th Anniversary Celebration at 2009" (PDF).
  35. "Board of Founders". Effat University.
  36. "Princess Al Anoud to support charity event". Arab News. 1 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  37. "Family Tree of Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Abd al Rahman". Datarabia. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  38. "Who's Who: The House of Saud: Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Faisal al Saud". Public Broadcasting Service. 7 October 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  39. "Board Members". SAGIA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  40. "His Royal Highness The Duke of Calabria invests senior Saudi Princes into the Royal Order of Francis I". 2 February 2001.
  41. "Entidades Estrangeiras Agraciadas com ordens Portuguesas". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas.
  42. "A History of the Travel Personality of the Year Award". Travel News. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  43. MD Al-Sulami (29 February 2012). "Makkah governor named best Arab personality by a forum". Arab News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
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