Saud bin Nayef

Saud bin Nayef
Governor of Eastern Province
In office 14 January 2013 – present
Predecessor Mohammed bin Fahd
Monarch King Abdullah
King Salman
Head of the Crown Prince Court
In office November 2011 – 14 January 2013
Predecessor Ali bin Ibrahim Al Hadeethi
Successor Mohammad bin Salman
Monarch King Abdullah
Ambassador to Spain
In office 2003 – 2011
Predecessor Abdulaziz Al Thunayan[1]
Successor Mansour bin Khaled bin Abdullah Al Farhan[2][3]
Full name
Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
House House of Saud
Father Nayef bin Abdulaziz
Mother Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi
Born 1956 (age 58–59)
Religion Islam

Saud bin Nayef (born 1956) is the former head of the Crown Prince Court and special advisor to the Saudi Crown Prince. He is governor of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia as well as a member of House of Saud. Prince Saud was once regarded as one of the candidates for king or crown prince when succession passed to the new generation.[4]

Early life and education

Prince Saud was born in 1956.[5] He is the eldest son and one of ten children of the former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Nayef bin Abdulaziz.[6] His mother is Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi.[7][8] She was a member of the powerful Jiluwi clan whose members have been intermarried with those of House of Saud,[9] and sister of King Fahd's wife.[10] Prince Mohammed is his younger brother.[11][12]

Saud bin Nayef received a bachelor of arts degree in economics and management from the University of Portland.[13]

Career and activities

Saud bin Nayef was appointed vice president of the youth welfare presidency in January 1986.[5] However, he resigned after six months. Then he had business dealings.[14] In February 1993, he began to serve as the deputy governor of the Eastern Province and left business activities.[14][15][16] His term lasted until 2003. Shortly after, he was appointed Saudi ambassador to Spain on 10 September 2003 and served as ambassador until July 2011.[9][17] While serving as ambassador he contributed to the organization of interfaith conference in Madrid that brought together Israeli and American rabbis and Wahhabi clerics in July 2008.[18] The conference was an initiative of King Abdullah.[18]

Next, Prince Saud was appointed assistant minister of interior for public affairs[19][20] and advisor to then-second deputy prime minister, his father late Prince Nayef in July 2011.[21]

Saud bin Nayef was the head of the Crown Prince Court and special advisor to the Crown Prince at the rank of minister from November 2011 to 13 January 2013.[22] He replaced Ali bin Ibrahim Al Hadeethi as head of the court.[23][24] During his tenure, Prince Saud exercised the power given him through this appointment on behalf of his father rather than on his own authority.[19] His term as the head of the court and special advisor to the Crown Prince continued after Prince Nayef's death in June 2012 for six months.[25]

On 13 January 2013, Prince Saud was appointed governor of the oil-rich Eastern province at the rank of minister, replacing Mohammed bin Fahd.[11][26]

On the death of King Abdullah in 2015, he was passed over in the line of succession by his younger brother Mohammed.

Other roles and business activities

During his term as Saudi ambasssador to Spain, Prince Saud was president of the Madrid Stock Exchange.[27] He is one of the members of the board of trustees of the Arab Thought Foundation that is a Saudi think-tank group, attempting to improve the relations between Arab nations and the Western nations.[28]

Saud bin Nayef is also deputy chairman of the Higher Commission of the Prize of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the Prophetic Sunnah and Islamic Studies and General Supervisor of the Prize.[29]

In addition to these semi-public roles, in December 2011, Saud bin Nayef was appointed member of the Allegiance Council since his father could not have a seat in the Council due to being then crown prince.[30]

Saud bin Nayef has also some business activities. He has a stake in Danagas corporation.[31] And he is the owner of SNAS trading and contacting company.[32]

Personal life

Saud bin Nayef was married twice. First, to princess Abeer bint Faisal bin Turki. They have four children: Jawahir, Abdulaziz (born 1982),[5] Mohammed and Nora. He had another daughter; Sara, with his second wife, but the child died in infancy.[33] His son, Mohammed, is married to a daughter of Sultan bin Abdulaziz. One of Prince Saud's daughters married Faisal bin Saud bin Abdullah Al Faisal in October 2010[34] and the other married Nayef bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz on 10 December 2010.[35]

His son, Mohammed bin Saud, has Al Naifat stable. He won the Belgium International championship and World Horse Producers Cup in the US in April 2012. He also won the Di Pietrasanta international B show[36] in May 2012. Two horses from the Al Naifat stable, Diana and Mascot, were chosen as the most beautiful horses among more than 100 Arab origin horses in the same event.[37]

Views

Concerning the business activities of Al Saud family, Saud bin Nayef argued "You have to understand one simple fact. Since it (Al Saud Family) is a big family and we cannot all have government jobs, some have to make a living. That's only fair."[38]

References

  1. ↑ "Royal decrees on ministerial and top-level appointments". Saudi Embassy. 7 June 1997. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "Kingdom vows measures to bring down oil prices". Arab News. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "Prince Salman arrives in Spain". Saudi Gazette. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Knickmeyer, Ellen (16 June 2012). "Saudi Arabia's Enforcer of Internal Security". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sabri Sharaf (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Sharaf Sabri. p. 129. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Stig Stenslie (21 August 2012). Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-136-51157-8. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Family Tree of Nayif bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  8. ↑ Caryle Murphy (5 June 2009). "The heir apparent". Global Post. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Teitelbaum, Joshua (1 November 2011). "Saudi succession and stability". BESA Center. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  10. ↑ Kechichian, Joseph (16 January 2013). "Saudi’s Eastern Province post of grave importance". Gulf News. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Saudi king names new governor for restive oil region". Reuters (Jeddah). 14 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Glenn Carey (14 January 2014). "Saudi King Asks Saud Bin Nayef to Run Oil-Rich Province". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz". Arab Thought Foundation. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "About the Bin Laden family". PBS. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  15. ↑ Henderson, Simon (1994). "After King Fahd" (Policy Paper). Washington Institute. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Social Responsibility". Projects System Group. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  17. ↑ Carey, Glen (14 January 2013). "Saudi King Asks Saud Bin Nayef to Run Oil-Rich Province". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Saudi king bringing rabbis, clerics together". NBC News (Madrid). AP. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Nathaniel Kern; Matthew M. Reed (15 November 2011). "Change and succession in Saudi Arabia". Middle East Policy Council. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  20. ↑ Khan, Ghazanfar Ali (30 October 2012). "We've a pious, capable king: Nayef". Arab News. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  21. ↑ "Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz appointed Assistant to Prince Nayef". Royal Embassy, Washington D.C. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Crown Prince receives Saudi envoys in Cleveland". Ministry of Interior. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  23. ↑ "Al Hadeethi and Al Marri relieved of their posts, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz and Al Rubaia replaced them". Saudi Agency Press (SPA). 5 November 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "Prince Salman named Defense Minister, Prince Sattam appointed Riyadh Governor". Saudi Embassy Washington DC. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  25. ↑ "Crown Prince Receives U.S. Secretary of Defense". Saudi Press Agency. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  26. ↑ Khazen (6 February 2013). "Prince Muqrin As I Have Known Him". Dar Al Hayat International. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  27. ↑ "Beyond the crisis". Saudi Spanish Center for Islamic Economics and Finance. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Arab Thought. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  29. ↑ "Prince Saud bin Nayef chairs meeting of higher commission of Islamic studies prize". Gulf in the Media. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  30. ↑ Abdul Ghafour, P.K. (6 December 2011). "Saudi Arabia seeks global backing For Palestinians". Arab News. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  31. ↑ "About us". Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  32. ↑ "Application of SNAS". Airline Info. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  33. ↑ "Family Tree of Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  34. ↑ "الأمير نايف يشرف حفل زواج الأمير فيصل بن سعود بن عبدالله الفيصل من كريمة الأمير سعود بن نايف". Al Riyadh. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  35. ↑ "الأمير نايف بن سلطان يحتفل بزواجه من كريمة الأمير سعود بن نايف". Al Riyadh. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  36. ↑ "Al Nayfat Stud achieved Italy Championship". Al Nayfat Stud. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  37. ↑ "Stables of Prince Muhammad bin Saud win in Italy". Saudi Press Agency. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  38. ↑ Peter W. Wilson; Douglas Graham (1994). Saudi Arabia: The coming storm. M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 1-56324-394-6. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mohammed bin Fahd		 Governor of East Province
2013 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent