Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Standard of the Crown Prince
Incumbent Mohammed bin Salman since 21 June 2017
Style	His Royal Highness
Appointer	The King with approval of the Allegiance Council
Term length	At the King's pleasure or until accession
Inaugural holder	Saud bin Abdulaziz
Formation	11 May 1933
Website	https://houseofsaud.com/

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: ولي عهد المملكة العربية السعودية, romanized: Waliyy ʿAhd al-Mamlaka al-ʿArabiyya as-Suʿūdiyya) is a very important position in Saudi Arabia. It is the second most powerful role, right after the King. The Crown Prince is the person chosen to become the next King.

Today, the King chooses a Crown Prince. This choice must be approved by the Allegiance Council. This system was started by King Abdullah. If the King is away, the Crown Prince takes charge of the country's affairs until the King returns.

How to Address the Crown Prince

Styles of The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Reference style	His Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness

The Crown Prince is first called "His Royal Highness." After that, people usually address him as "Sir."

History of the Crown Prince Role

The role of Crown Prince has a long history in Saudi Arabia. The last Crown Prince of the Second Saudi State was Abdulaziz. He lost his title when his father, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, lost control of their state in 1890. The royal family, known as the Al Sauds, had to leave their home and live in other Arab states of the Persian Gulf for about ten years.

Abdulaziz and his family were determined to get their land back. In the early 1900s, they fought many battles to regain control. They were very successful and formed the third Saudi state. When Abdulaziz became a recognized leader, he named his oldest son, Turki, as his heir. After Turki passed away in 1919, Abdulaziz chose his second son, Saud, to be the next heir. He also decided that future succession would pass from brother to brother.

In 1932, Abdulaziz united the regions of Nejd and Hejaz to form Saudi Arabia. He declared himself King and named Saud as the Crown Prince.

Before King Abdulaziz passed away, he thought about who should be King next. He saw Prince Faisal as a very capable leader because of his experience. King Abdulaziz once said, "I only wish I had three Faisals." However, he decided to keep Prince Saud as Crown Prince. His last words to his sons, Saud and Faisal, were "You are brothers, unite!"

After King Abdulaziz's death, there was a power struggle between Saud and Faisal. Faisal became the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia in 1954. Saudi Arabia faced financial problems during King Saud's rule. Faisal was known for being careful with money and wanting to modernize the country. Because of the problems, the royal family asked King Saud to give most of his power to Faisal in 1958. Faisal later became King in 1964.

The next in line, Prince Mohammed, was Crown Prince for a short time. He then gave up the title to Prince Khalid in 1965.

After King Faisal was assassinated, Khalid became King, and Fahd became Crown Prince. During their time, both King Khalid and King Fahd followed strict Islamic policies. When King Fahd became ill in 1995, Crown Prince Abdullah took over many of his duties. When Abdullah became King, he started to modernize Saudi Arabia. He allowed women to vote and work in government. King Abdullah also created the Allegiance Council. This group, made up of the sons and grandsons of King Abdulaziz, votes secretly to choose future kings and crown princes.

In the 2000s and early 2010s, several Crown Princes passed away due to old age. In January 2015, King Abdulaziz's last son, Muqrin, became Crown Prince. However, he was replaced three months later by his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef. Mohammed bin Nayef was the first grandson of King Abdulaziz to hold the title. He was then replaced in June 2017 by Mohammad bin Salman, another grandson of King Abdulaziz.

Crown Princes of Saudi Arabia (1933–Present)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Saud bin Abdulaziz سعود	(1902-01-15)15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969(1969-02-23) (aged 67)	11 May 1933	9 November 1953 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Wadha bint Muhammad Al Orair	Saud
Faisal bin Abdulaziz فيصل	(1906-04-14)14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975(1975-03-25) (aged 68)	9 November 1953	2 November 1964 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh	Saud
Muhammad bin Abdulaziz محمد	(1910-03-04)4 March 1910 – 25 November 1988(1988-11-25) (aged 78)	2 November 1964	29 March 1965 (abdicated)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Musaed Al Saud	Saud
Khalid bin Abdulaziz خالد	(1913-02-13)13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982(1982-06-13) (aged 69)	29 March 1965	25 March 1975 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Musaed Al Saud	Saud
Fahd bin Abdulaziz فهد	(1921-03-16)16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005(2005-08-01) (aged 84)	25 March 1975	13 June 1982 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz عبد الله	(1924-08-01)1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015(2015-01-22) (aged 90)	13 June 1982	1 August 2005 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shammari	Saud
Sultan bin Abdulaziz سلطان	(1931-08-01)1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011(2011-10-22) (aged 80)	1 August 2005	22 October 2011 (died in office)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Nayef bin Abdulaziz نايف	(1934-08-23)23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012(2012-06-16) (aged 77)	22 October 2011	16 June 2012 (died in office)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Salman bin Abdulaziz سلمان	(1935-12-31) 31 December 1935 (age 89)	16 June 2012	23 January 2015 (became king)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz مقرن	(1945-09-15) 15 September 1945 (age 79)	23 January 2015	29 April 2015 (abdicated)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Baraka Al Yamaniyah	Saud
Muhammad bin Nayef محمد بن نايف	(1959-08-30) 30 August 1959 (age 65)	29 April 2015	21 June 2017 (deposed)	Son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Jiluwi	Saud
Mohammed bin Salman محمد بن سلمان	(1985-08-31) 31 August 1985 (age 39)	21 June 2017	Incumbent	Son of King Salman and Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain	Saud

Timeline of Crown Princes

The Second Deputy Prime Minister Role

The title "Second Deputy Prime Minister" was created in 1967 by King Faisal. It was used to show which senior prince was next in line for the throne after the Crown Prince.

In 1965, Crown Prince Mohammed stepped down from his role. King Faisal then chose Prince Khalid to be the new Crown Prince. Khalid was hesitant to accept the position many times. In 1967, Prince Khalid did not want to lead the Council of Ministers meetings. So, Prince Fahd was appointed as the Second Deputy Prime Minister to lead these meetings instead. Some older princes, like Saad and Nasir, were not chosen because they had less experience.

When King Faisal passed away in 1975, King Khalid named Prince Fahd as Crown Prince. Prince Abdullah then became the Second Deputy Prime Minister.

As King Khalid grew older and became ill, the question of who would follow Abdullah as Second Deputy Prime Minister became important. Prince Sultan later took over this role from Prince Abdullah.

Second Deputy Prime Ministers of Saudi Arabia (1967–2011)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Fahd bin Abdulaziz فهد	(1921-03-16)16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005(2005-08-01) (aged 84)	1967	25 March 1975 (became crown prince)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz عبد الله	(1924-08-01)1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015(2015-01-22) (aged 90)	25 March 1975	13 June 1982 (became crown prince)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shammari	Saud
Sultan bin Abdulaziz سلطان	(1931-08-01)1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011(2011-10-22) (aged 80)	13 June 1982	1 August 2005 (became crown prince)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud
Nayef bin Abdulaziz نايف	(1934-08-23)23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012(2012-06-16) (aged 77)	1 August 2005	22 October 2011 (became crown prince)	Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi	Saud

The Deputy Crown Prince Role

The title "Deputy Crown Prince" was created in 2014 by King Abdullah. Muqrin bin Abdul'aziz Al Saud was the first prince to hold this position. Since June 21, 2017, the role of Deputy Crown Prince has been empty. So far, no one who has served as Deputy Crown Prince has gone on to become King.

Deputy Crown Princes of Saudi Arabia (2014–2017)

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family	Image
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz مقرن	(1945-09-15) 15 September 1945 (age 79)	27 March 2014	23 January 2015 (became crown prince)	Son of Ibn Saud and Baraka Al Yamaniyah	Saud
Muhammad bin Nayef محمد بن نايف	(1959-08-30) 30 August 1959 (age 65)	23 January 2015	29 April 2015 (became crown prince)	Son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Jiluwi	Saud
Mohammed bin Salman محمد بن سلمان	(1985-08-31) 31 August 1985 (age 39)	29 April 2015	21 June 2017 (became crown prince)	Son of King Salman and Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain	Saud

Royal Standard

The Royal Flag of the Crown Prince is green. It has an Arabic writing and a sword in white. The national emblem is sewn in silver threads in the bottom right corner.

Royal Flag of the Crown Prince

The writing on the flag is in a style called Thuluth script. It is the shahada, which is an Islamic declaration of faith:

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَدٌ رَسُولُ الله

lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muḥammadu rasūlu-llāh

There is no other god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

See also

• Succession to the Saudi Arabian throne