| Prince Khalid al-Faisal | |
|---|---|
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| In office | since 16 May 2007 |
| Predecessor | Prince Abdul-Majeed bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud |
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| In office | 1971–2007 |
| Successor | Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud |
| Spouse | Princess Al-Anoud |
| Issue | |
| Prince Bandar Prince Sultan |
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| Full name | |
| Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud | |
| House | House of Saud |
| Father | King Faisal |
| Mother | Princess Haya bint Turki bin Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah Al Saud |
| Born | 1940 (age 71–72) Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Religion | Islam |
Prince Khalid al-Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (Arabic: خالد الفيصل بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; born 1940 in Mecca) is the current Governor of the Makkah Province. He previously served as the Governor of the Asir Province from 1971 to 2007.
He is a member of the Saudi royal family and is the eldest surviving son of the late King Faisal. He is the half-brother of Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and former Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Turki al-Faisal.
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Khalid was born 1940 in Mecca. Like Faisal's other children, he was educated abroad. He attended the Hun School of Princeton, New Jersey and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from the University of Oxford in 1966.[1][2] He served as Director General of the Presidency of Youth Welfare.[2]
Khalid was governor of the Asir Province in southwestern Saudi Arabia from 1971 to 2007. As governor, he held majlis (open-house meeting with regular citizens) twice a day.[3] The region also had its first telephone line under his governorship.[4]
According to a leaked Wikileaks cable, Khalid went to extraordinary lengths to renovate his late father's palace to host a party for Prince Charles, during the Prince of Wales' visit to the kingdom in 2006.[5][6] 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 with the palace. Khalid has since built a new palace while the old palace has been converted into a university.[7]
On May 16, 2007, Khalid was appointed Governor of the Makkah Province by King Abdullah, replacing Prince Abdul-Majeed bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud who died in office.[8] The province includes the Muslim holy city of Mecca 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.[9]
As governor, he plays a major role in managing the annual Hajj in Mecca, the world's largest religious pilgrimage.[10]
Khalid has been mentioned as a future king when succession in the Al Saud passes on to the next generation.[11] However, the al-Faisal brothers are said to be regarded unfavorably within the royal family due to their perceived air of intellectual superiority.[12]
According to leaked diplomatic cables, he traveled to Beirut in 2009 to meet with Lebanese parliamentarians.[13]
In June 2011, Khalid presided at the opening of the Rabigh's expansion of its desalination plant.[14]
Prince Khalid is the Managing Director of the King Faisal Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic and charitable organisations in the world.[2] The Foundation runs Alfaisal University in Riyadh, where Khalid is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.[15] He is the founder and current president of the organisation Painting and Patronage.[16]
Khalid has criticized negative coverage of Saudi Arabia by the Western media. He spoke out against misconceptions that characterize Saudi society as backwards and uneducated.[17]
Prince Khalid is an avid painter,[11] poet, and patron of the arts.[2] 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".[18] 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.[2] As Governor of Makkah, he established the Cultural Council of Makkah.[2]
He is a close friend of Prince Charles, who is one of the most prominent supporters of Painting and Patronage.[11]
He is married to Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul-Rahman Al Saud.[19] His son, Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, is the chairman of the board of directors of Al-Watan, a reformist newspaper.[20]