Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
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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.
Contents
How to Address the Crown Prince
Styles of The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia |
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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 |
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Saud bin Abdulaziz
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15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969 (aged 67) | 11 May 1933 | 9 November 1953 (became king) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Wadha bint Muhammad Al Orair | Saud | ![]() |
Faisal bin Abdulaziz
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14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975 (aged 68) | 9 November 1953 | 2 November 1964 (became king) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh | Saud | ![]() |
Muhammad bin Abdulaziz
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4 March 1910 – 25 November 1988 (aged 78) | 2 November 1964 | 29 March 1965 (abdicated) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Musaed Al Saud | Saud | ![]() |
Khalid bin Abdulaziz
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13 February 1913 – 13 June 1982 (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
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16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005 (aged 84) | 25 March 1975 | 13 June 1982 (became king) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud | ![]() |
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
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1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015 (aged 90) | 13 June 1982 | 1 August 2005 (became king) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shammari | Saud | ![]() |
Sultan bin Abdulaziz
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1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011 (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
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23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012 (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
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31 December 1935 | 16 June 2012 | 23 January 2015 (became king) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud | ![]() |
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz
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15 September 1945 | 23 January 2015 | 29 April 2015 (abdicated) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Baraka Al Yamaniyah | Saud | ![]() |
Muhammad bin Nayef
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30 August 1959 | 29 April 2015 | 21 June 2017 (deposed) |
Son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz and Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Jiluwi | Saud | ![]() |
Mohammed bin Salman
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31 August 1985 | 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 |
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Fahd bin Abdulaziz
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16 March 1921 – 1 August 2005 (aged 84) | 1967 | 25 March 1975 (became crown prince) |
Son of King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | Saud | ![]() |
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
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1 August 1924 – 22 January 2015 (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
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1 August 1931 – 22 October 2011 (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
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23 August 1934 – 16 June 2012 (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 |
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Muqrin bin Abdulaziz
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15 September 1945 | 27 March 2014 | 23 January 2015 (became crown prince) |
Son of Ibn Saud and Baraka Al Yamaniyah | Saud | ![]() |
Muhammad bin Nayef
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30 August 1959 | 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
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31 August 1985 | 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.
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