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 chosen to be the next ruler.

Today, the Crown Prince takes power after the King chooses him. This choice must be approved by a special group called the Allegiance Council. This system was started by King Abdullah. If the King is away, the Crown Prince manages the country's affairs until the King returns.

Styles of 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 usually called "His Royal Highness." When people speak to him directly, they say "Your Royal Highness" or "Sir."

History of the Crown Prince Position

The idea of a Crown Prince in the Saudi royal family has a long history. The last Crown Prince of the Second Saudi State was Abdulaziz. He lost his title when his father's state was taken over in 1890. The royal family, known as the Al Sauds, had to leave their home for about ten years.

Abdulaziz and his family were determined to get their land back. In the early 1900s, they fought many battles and successfully formed the third Saudi state. When Abdulaziz became a recognized leader, he named his oldest son, Turki, as his heir.

Sadly, Turki passed away in 1919. So, Abdulaziz chose his second son, Saud, to be the next heir. He also decided that future rulers would pass the title from brother to brother. The Al Sauds continued to expand their land. In 1932, Abdulaziz united two separate states to form Saudi Arabia. He became King and named Saud as his Crown Prince.

Before King Abdulaziz passed away, he thought about who should rule 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. He told his sons, Saud and Faisal, to "unite!"

After King Abdulaziz died, 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 issues, the royal family asked King Saud to give most of his power to Faisal in 1958.

Faisal resigned for a short time but returned in 1962. In 1964, Faisal and his brothers took over power peacefully. Faisal became the regent, meaning he ruled while Saud remained King in name only. Later, the royal family asked Saud to step down completely, and Faisal became King.

After King Faisal was sadly assassinated, Khalid became King, and Fahd became Crown Prince. During their reigns, they followed traditional Islamic policies. When King Fahd became ill, Crown Prince Abdullah took over as the main ruler.

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 is made up of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz. They vote secretly to choose future kings and crown princes.

In recent years, several Crown Princes passed away due to old age. In 2015, King Abdulaziz's last son, Muqrin, became Crown Prince. But he was replaced a few months later by his nephew, Muhammad bin Nayef. Then, in 2017, Muhammad bin Nayef was replaced 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

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 also sewn in silver on the bottom right side.

Royal Flag of the Crown Prince

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

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ 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

Images for kids

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  Fahd of Saudi Arabia

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  Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

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  Sultan bin Abdulaziz

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  Nayef bin Abdulaziz

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  Muqrin bin Abdulaziz

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  Muhammad bin Nayef

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  Mohammed bin Salman