Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud
Al Waleed in 2015
Years active	1979–present
Alma mater	Menlo College Syracuse University
Born	(1955-03-07) 7 March 1955 (age 70) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Spouse	Dalal bint Saud Al Saud ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1994)​ Iman Al Sudairi ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 1997)​ Kholood Al Anazi ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2004)​ Ameera al-Taweel ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2013)​
House	Al Saud
Father	Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Mother	Mona El Solh
Occupation	Chairman and CEO of Kingdom Holding Company

Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud (Arabic: الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a very successful Saudi Arabian businessman and investor. He is also a member of the House of Saud, which is the royal family of Saudi Arabia. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Al Waleed is the grandson of Ibn Saud, who was the first king of Saudi Arabia. He is also the grandson of Riad Al Solh, who was the first prime minister of Lebanon.

He started a big company called Kingdom Holding Company. He is the boss (CEO) and owns 95 percent of it. This company owns parts of many other businesses around the world. For example, he owns the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris and part of the Plaza Hotel in New York. People have even called him the "Arabian Warren Buffett" because he is so good at investing.

In November 2017, Al Waleed and some other important Saudis were held in Saudi Arabia. This was part of a big effort by the government to fight corruption. He was released in January 2018 after about three months.

Early Life and School

Al Waleed bin Talal was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 7, 1955. His father was Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, and his mother was Mona El Solh. His father used to be Saudi Arabia's finance minister.

Al Waleed's parents separated when he was seven years old. He then lived with his mother in Lebanon. He went to different schools, including Pinewood College in Beirut and the King Abdulaziz Military Academy in Riyadh.

He later moved to the United States for college. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Menlo College in California in 1979. Then, in 1985, he received a master's degree from Syracuse University.

Business Ventures and Investments

Al Waleed started his business journey in 1979 after finishing college. He returned to Saudi Arabia during a time when the country was making a lot of money from oil. He began with a small office and some money from his father.

He quickly learned to invest in projects by taking a share of the business instead of just a fee. His first big success was in 1982, working with a construction company. He used the money he earned to buy real estate and invest in the stock market.

After the oil boom ended, Al Waleed started buying parts of banks that were not doing well. He helped merge them into bigger, stronger banks, like the Saudi American Bank (SAMBA). These mergers were some of the first of their kind in Saudi Arabia.

Investing in Big Companies

By 1989, Al Waleed was very wealthy. He started looking for investment opportunities around the world. He liked to invest in "established brands going through hard times." This meant he would buy shares in well-known companies that were struggling, hoping they would get better.

He invested in major banks like Citigroup. Even when Citigroup was having problems, he believed it had the best chance to recover. His investment helped the bank a lot.

He also bought a share of Saks Fifth Avenue, a famous department store. He then opened one of their stores in Riyadh.

Hotels and Entertainment

Al Waleed became a big investor in hotels. He bought shares in Fairmont and Four Seasons. He also bought a large part of the Plaza Hotel in New York.

In 1996, he bought the famous George V hotel in Paris for a lot of money. He spent even more money to make it new and beautiful. He also invested in Euro Disney, which owns Disneyland Paris.

He also created the Kingdom Holding Company in 1995. This company planned big projects like the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, which includes a hospital and a school.

Technology and Media Investments

Al Waleed also invested in technology and media companies. In 1997, he bought a share of Apple Inc., making him one of their biggest shareholders. He also invested in companies like Motorola and Netscape.

He owned a significant part of News Corporation, a large media company. He also invested in Rotana Group, which is the biggest entertainment company in the Arab world.

In 2011, Al Waleed invested $300 million in Twitter, buying shares from early investors. This gave his company a share of more than 3% in Twitter. In 2022, he committed to buying more Twitter shares when Elon Musk took over the company.

The Savoy Hotel in London is owned by Al Waleed

In 2005, Al Waleed bought the Savoy Hotel in London. His company, Kingdom Holding, also bought Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in 2006.

In 2011, he announced plans to build the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia. This building is planned to be one of the tallest in the world.

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Al Waleed is known for his charity work. In 2015, he announced that he would donate his entire fortune to charity at some point in the future. He had already given away $3.5 billion over 35 years through his charity, Alwaleed Philanthropies.

His donations help with many humanitarian projects. These include helping women and young people, providing disaster relief, fighting diseases, and building understanding between different cultures.

Donation After 9/11 Attacks

After the 11 September attacks in 2001, Al Waleed offered $10 million to New York City. However, he also said that the United States should look at its policies in the Middle East. Because of this comment, the mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, returned the donation.

Supporting Education

Al Waleed has given money to many universities around the world. In 2005, he gave Georgetown University $20 million to create a center for understanding between Muslims and Christians. He also gave money to Edinburgh University, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University for Islamic studies programs.

Supporting Women

Al Waleed is a strong supporter of women's rights in the Arab world. He helped Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi become the first Saudi woman commercial airline pilot. He said he fully supports Saudi women working in all kinds of jobs.

Assets

Al Waleed owns many valuable things.

Yachts and Aircraft

He owns one of the largest private yachts in the world, called the Kingdom 5KR. This yacht was once owned by Donald Trump. He also owns several private airplanes, including a Boeing 747 and an Airbus A321. He was the first person to order a huge Airbus A380 for private use, but he sold it before it was delivered.

Palaces

Al Waleed owns three palaces in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His main home is the Kingdom Palace, which has 317 rooms, fancy marble, silk carpets, and gold-plated faucets. It has four kitchens and can feed 2,000 people quickly. He also has the Kingdom Resort, with lakes and gardens, and the Kingdom Oasis, which is still being built and will have a large lake and a private zoo.

Awards and Honors

Al Waleed has received many awards and honors from Saudi Arabia and other countries. These awards recognize his business achievements and his efforts in philanthropy.

Saudi Arabian National Honors

Ribbon bar	Honour
	Member 1st Class of the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud

Foreign Honors

Ribbon bar	Country	Honour
	Bahrain	Member 1st Class of the Khalifiyyeh Order of Bahrain
	Benin	Grand Officer of the National Order of Benin
	Brunei	Member 1st Class of the Family Order of Laila Utama
	Bulgaria	Member 1st Class of the Order of the Balkan Mountains
	Burkina Faso	Commander of the National Order of Burkina Faso
	Burundi	Grand Cross of the National Order of the Republic of Burundi
	Chad	Grand Officer of the National Order of Chad
	Comoros	Commander of the Star of Anjouan
	Central African Republic	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit of Central African Republic
	Djibouti	Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Star of Djibouti
	France	Commander of the Legion of Honour
	Gabon	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit of Gabon
	Gambia	Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia
	Ghana	Companion of the Order of the Volta
	Guinea	Commander of the National Order of Merit of Guinea
	Equatorial Guinea	Grand Cross of the Order of Independence
	Jordan	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan
	Ivory Coast	Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast
	Kenya	Grand Cordon of the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya
	Lebanon	Grand Officer of the National Order of the Cedar
	Liberia	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Africa
	Madagascar	Grand Cross of the National Order of Madagascar
	Mauritania	Commander of the National Order of Merit of Mauritania
	Maldives	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin
	Mali	Grand Officer of the National Order of Mali
	Malta	Companion of the National Order of Merit
	Monaco	Grand Officer of the Order of Grimaldi
	Morocco	Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
	Netherlands	Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau
	Niger	Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit of Niger
	Palestine	Grand Cordon of the Order of the State of Palestine
	Pakistan	Second Class of Nishan-e-Pakistan
	Philippines	Grand Officer of Order of Sikatuna
	Senegal	Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion
	Sierra Leone	Grand Gordon of the Order of the Republic
	South Korea	Sungnye Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit
	Sudan	Grand Cordon of the Republic of the Sudan
	Syria	Member 1st Class of the Order of the Umayyads
	Taiwan	Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Star
	Togo	Grand Officer of the Order of Mono
	Tunisia	Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic
	Tunisia	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Seventh of November
	Vietnam	Medal of the Friendship Order
	Uganda	Companion of the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa

Personal Life

His first wife, Dalal, as a child, standing between her father King Saud and John F. Kennedy, 1962

Al Waleed has been married and divorced four times. His first marriage was in 1976 to his cousin, Princess Dalal bint Saud. They have two children, Prince Khaled and Princess Reem. They divorced in 1994.

He later married Iman Sudairi in 1996, but they divorced about a year later. In 1999, he married Kholood Al Anazi, and they divorced in 2004. His fourth wife was Ameera al-Taweel. They were married for about six years before divorcing in 2014.

Al Waleed is a big fan of the Al Hilal SFC football club. In September 2024, he donated a large sum of money to the club.

Images for kids

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  Kingdom 5KR, Al Waleed's yacht

See also

In Spanish: Al Waleed Bin Talal para niños