Erik Prince facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Erik Prince
Prince in 2025
Born	(1969-06-06) June 6, 1969 (age 56) Holland, Michigan, U.S.
Education	Hillsdale College (BA)
Known for	Founder of Blackwater
Spouse(s)	Joan Prince (m. 1991; died 2003) Joanna Houck (m. 2004; div. 2012) Stacy DeLuke (m. date unknown)
Children	12
Parent(s)	Edgar Prince (father)
Relatives	Betsy DeVos (sister)

Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	United States Navy SEALs

Erik Dean Prince (born June 6, 1969) is an American businessman, investor, and author. He is also a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer. Prince is best known as the founder of Blackwater, a company that provides security services.

He was Blackwater's CEO until 2009 and its chairman until it was sold in 2010. Later, in 2012, Prince started a company called Frontier Resource Group. He was also chairman of Frontier Services Group until 2021. Erik Prince is the son of businessman Edgar Prince and the brother of Betsy DeVos, who was a U.S. Secretary of Education.

Early Life and Military Service
Starting Blackwater
- Founding the Company
- Blackwater's Role and Challenges
Later Ventures and Activities
Personal Life and Views
See also

Early Life and Military Service

Growing Up in Michigan

Erik Prince was born on June 6, 1969, in Holland, Michigan. He was the youngest of four children born to Edgar D. Prince and Elsa (Zwiep). He finished high school at Holland Christian High School.

As a young person, Prince traveled the world with his father. They visited places like the Dachau concentration camp and the Berlin Wall. These trips made a strong impression on him.

Education and Early Work

Prince attended the United States Naval Academy for a short time. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Hillsdale College in 1992. While in college, he volunteered as a firefighter and a cold-water diver. He also became an emergency medical technician.

In 1990, Prince had an internship at the White House under President George H. W. Bush. He later interned for California congressman Dana Rohrabacher. At age 21, Prince volunteered to search for a mass grave in Nicaragua.

Becoming a Navy SEAL

After college, Prince joined the United States Navy as an officer in 1992. He went through intense training to become a Navy SEAL. He graduated from this training in 1993.

As a SEAL, he served in places like Haiti, the Middle East, and the Balkans. He felt that being a SEAL helped him use his drive to start new things. During the Yugoslav Wars in the early 1990s, he saw a need for private training for special operations. Prince left the Navy in 1995 after his father passed away.

Starting Blackwater

Founding the Company

In 1997, Erik Prince moved to Virginia Beach. He used his own money to start Blackwater Worldwide. He bought a large area of land in the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina. Here, he built a training facility for special operations. The company's name, "Blackwater," comes from the dark, peat-colored water in the swamp.

Prince has said that seeing the Rwandan genocide in 1994 influenced his decision to create Blackwater. He felt it was important to take action.

Blackwater's Role and Challenges

From 1997 to 2010, Blackwater received a lot of money from government contracts for security services. The company also worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It became a major private security provider for the U.S. State Department.

Blackwater faced significant public and government scrutiny after an incident in September 2007 in Baghdad. This event led to challenges for the company. Blackwater lost a large contract with the State Department in 2009. However, the company still received new contracts from the government in 2010.

Prince has defended Blackwater's work. He pointed out that during many security missions, very few times did guards need to fire their weapons. He stated that no one under Blackwater's protection was ever killed or injured. He also mentioned that 30 of their own men were killed while on duty.

Prince resigned as CEO of Blackwater in 2009. He remained chairman until he sold the company in late 2010.

Later Ventures and Activities

Security Work in the UAE

After Blackwater faced legal issues in the United States, Prince moved to Abu Dhabi in 2010. He was hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. His job was to help create a group of foreign troops for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He helped the UAE start a new company called Reflex Responses, or R2.

In 2011, Prince was involved in training a force of 2,000 Somalis. This group was trained for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Several Arab countries, including the UAE, funded this program.

Business in Africa

Prince leads a private equity firm called Frontier Resource Group. Until April 2021, he was also chairman of Frontier Services Group. This company focuses on logistics and transport. It is supported by China's state-owned CITIC Group. Prince's companies help with Chinese investments in oil and gas in Africa.

In 2014, Frontier Services Group bought parts of two aviation companies in Kenya. These companies provide logistics services for the oil and gas industry. Prince also bought a share in an Austrian aviation company.

Connections to Political Campaigns

In August 2016, Erik Prince attended a meeting in Trump Tower. Others present included Donald Trump Jr.. Prince later stated that he was there to discuss Iran policy.

Prince also attended a meeting in the Seychelles in January 2017. This meeting involved officials from the UAE and Russia. Reports suggested this meeting was an effort to create a way for the Trump team to communicate with Russia. Prince denied representing the Trump team or that the meeting was a secret communication channel.

In April 2019, a congressional committee chairman stated that Prince might have given false information to the committee. An investigation into this was opened by the Department of Justice in February 2020.

Activities in Other Countries

In December 2019, Prince reportedly traveled to Venezuela to meet with an aide to Nicolas Maduro.

In recent years, Prince has been reported to have recruited former intelligence agents. These agents reportedly worked to gather information on various groups. These efforts were said to assist Project Veritas, an organization known for its conservative views.

Reports in April 2020 linked Prince to activities in Mozambique and Libya. A United Nations report also connected Prince to efforts to support a Libyan leader in 2019.

In April 2019, Erik Prince proposed a deal to a Libyan militia leader. This plan, called "Project Opus," involved supplying aircraft and military equipment. The project was stopped in June 2019. Investigations have looked into Prince's involvement in these activities.

In 2023, the United Nations linked Prince to a deal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This deal involved the possible deployment of mercenaries to secure mining areas.

In March 2025, Prince and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced a deal. This deal aims to support government security forces in the Ecuadorian conflict. However, this visit faced some controversy. A security operation led to many detentions, but people were released quickly. Prince also made comments about a presidential candidate, which led to accusations of foreign interference.

In 2025, it was reported that a group led by Prince had proposed a plan to the Trump administration. This plan involved private companies helping with deportations.

Personal Life and Views

Where He Lives

Erik Prince lives in both Middleburg, Virginia, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Faith and Beliefs

He became a Catholic in 1992 and describes himself as a practicing member of the church.

Political Ideas

Prince describes himself as a libertarian. He believes strongly in free markets and thinks that private charities and organizations can solve problems better than the government.

His time as a White House intern helped shape his political views. He felt that some government agencies were too large. He also supported presidential candidate Pat Buchanan at one point. In 2024, Prince discussed his views on global governance, suggesting that some countries might need external help to govern themselves.

Support for Causes

Between 1998 and 2007, Prince donated money to Republican and other political causes. In 2016, he contributed to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. He has also donated to conservative Christian organizations and political groups.

Prince serves as a director of the Prince Foundation, which his parents started in 1979. He also founded the Freiheit ("Liberty") Foundation, a charity that supported conservative causes. After the 2007 Baghdad incident, Prince supported a Muslim orphanage in Afghanistan and built mosques at Blackwater bases.

Family Life

Erik Prince is the younger brother of Betsy DeVos, who was the U.S. Secretary of Education. He is also the brother-in-law of Dick DeVos.

Prince's first wife, Joan Nicole, passed away from cancer in 2003. They had four children together. He later married Joanna Ruth Houck in 2004. He is now married to Stacy DeLuke. Erik Prince has twelve children in total.