Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Born 1923
Died 19 August 2013 (aged 8990)
Spouse Watfa bint Muhammad Al Rashid
Issue Prince Faisal
Prince Abdul Rahman
Prince Khaled
Prince Bandar
Prince Abdullah
Princess Al Jawhara
Full name
Musa'id bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud
House House of Saud
Father King Abdulaziz
Mother Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi
Religion Islam

Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1923 – 19 August 2013)[1] was a member of the House of Saud. He was the twelfth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He was the father of Faisal bin Musaid who was the assassin of his brother King Faisal.

Early life

Musa'id was born in 1923. His father, was King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia in 1932. His mother was Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi. Before marrying Abdulaziz she had been married to Abdulaziz's full brother, Sa'd bin Abdul Rahman, until Sa'd's death in 1916. Her sister, Haya Al Sudairi, was also a spouse of King Abdulaziz and the mother of Prince Badr, Prince Abdul Majid and Prince Abdul Illah.

Musa'id had two full-brothers Prince Saad, Prince Abdul Muhsin and one full-sister Princess Al Bandari.[2]

Marriage and children

Musa'id married Watfa, a daughter of Muhammad bin Talal, the 12th (and last) Rashidi amir. Their son Faisal bin Musaid was born in Riyadh on 4 April 1944. He subsequently divorced Watfa. His sons and daughters by Watfa were much closer to their maternal Rashidi relatives than their paternal relatives, Al Sauds.[3]

In 1966, his son Khaled, who was a fervent Wahhabite,[4] was killed during a Riyadh protest against the introduction of television. The details of his death are disputed. Some reports allege that he died resisting arrest outside his own home. No investigation over his death was ever initiated.

Musa'id had another son, Bandar, and a daughter, Al Jawhara. He also had another son Abdul Rahman bin Musaid from a subsequent marriage.

Assassination of King Faisal

On 25 March 1975 his son Faisal bin Musaid went to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, where King Faisal was holding a majlis. He joined a Kuwaiti delegation and lined up to meet the king. The king recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal could kiss the king's head in a sign of respect. The prince took out a revolver from his robe and shot the King twice in the head. His third shot missed and he threw the gun away. King Faisal fell to the floor. Bodyguards with swords and submachine guns arrested the prince. The king was quickly rushed to a hospital but doctors failed to save him.[5]

Initial reports described Faisal bin Musaid as "mentally deranged." He was moved to a Riyadh prison. He was deemed sane to be tried.[6] He was found guilty of murder. Hours after the verdict, he was publicly decapitated in Riyadh. The assassin's brother Bandar was also put in prison for one year and later released.[3]

Later life

Prince Musa'id did not hold any significant administrative positions and hence he was sidelined for the throne. The involvement of his son Faisal bin Musaid in the assassination of King Faisal could also have weakened his position. In addition he seemingly never sought one. He gradually lost his eyesight after the death of his first son, Khalid. He lived an austere private life where he was known to be pious.

Death

The Royal Diwan announced that Prince Musa'id had died on 19 August 2013.[1] He was the second eldest living son of King Abdulaziz at the time of his death next only to Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It was announced that funeral prayers for the late prince would be held at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh the next day and a three-day mourning period was also declared.[7]

Ancestry

References

  1. 1 2 "Saudi Arabia announces demise of Prince Musad bin Abdulaziz". Kuwait News Agency. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  2. "Succession In Saudi Arabia". Joseph A. Kechichian. Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 Al Rasheed, Madawi (1991). Politics in an Arabian Oasis. The Rashidis of Saudi Arabia. New York: I. B. Tauirs & Co. Ltd.
  4. Ali, Tariq (2001). "Kingdom of corruption: Keeping an eye on the ball: the Saudi connection" (PDF). Index on Censorship. 30: 14–18. doi:10.1080/03064220108536972. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  5. "Saudi Arabia: The death of a desert monarch". Time Magazine. 7 April 1975. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  6. "Milwaulkee Sentinel." Faisal's lawyer Will Stand Trial [Milwaukee, Wisconsin] 31 Mar. 1975: 2. Print.
  7. "Prince Musaed bin Abdul Aziz passes away". Arab News. Retrieved 20 August 2013.


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