Sultan bin Abdulaziz

Did You Know?

• Sultan was the 15th son of Ibn Saud and the second of the Sudairi Seven.
• He began his public service in 1940 as a deputy to Riyadh governor Prince Nasser and later became governor of Riyadh in 1947.
• In December 1995 he attempted to seize power through the support of the Ulema when Crown Prince Abdullah was in Oman, but the coup failed.

Minister of defense and aviation

Prince Sultan first took on the role of defense and aviation minister in 1963, a position given to him by Crown Prince Faisal. He oversaw the growth of Saudi Arabia's military. In late 1966, he survived an assassination attempt carried out by Yemeni revolutionaries with help from Egyptian intelligence. His political sway lessened during King Khalid's rule after he failed to block Prince Abdullah from becoming heir apparent in 1977.

Sultan was responsible for buying American tanks, fighter jets, missiles, and AWACS systems, though much of this equipment ended up in storage or under repair despite a hefty defense budget. He was rumored to have grown very rich from kickbacks tied to Western defense contracts and was linked to scandals like the Al Yamamah deal. Under his watch, Saudi Arabia became the top buyer of U.S. weapons. In 1965, he approved a deal with the British Aircraft Corporation known as Operation Magic Carpet, swapping 16 million pounds for used aircraft and missile launchers.

In 1996, he pushed back against Pentagon plans to move U.S. troops after the Dhahran bombing. He made an official visit to Iran in May 1999, the first by a Saudi minister since 1979.

Charity works

Prince Sultan engaged in many charitable works, including providing for the poor and people with special needs. He established the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation on 21 January 1995 to offer humanitarian and medical services to those unable to afford expenses, donating his possessions to it except for his private residence and important necessities. This committee organizes relief and medical convoys, sets up camps to combat diseases like malaria and blindness, and carries out developmental projects such as digging wells and building schools, mosques, hospitals, and dialysis centers.

He inaugurated Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, the first private non-profit university in the kingdom. In 2007 he received the Medal of Human Honor for his charitable works. In April 2005 he donated £2 million to the Ashmolean Museum, leading to criticism when Oxford University agreed to expedite scholarship applications for Saudi students.

Personal life

Prince Sultan mostly married women with a tribal background and had thirty-two children by his multiple wives. His son Khalid bin Sultan became deputy minister of defense after his death, serving until 20 April 2013. Bandar bin Sultan was former ambassador to the United States, former secretary general of the national security council, and former head of the general intelligence directorate. Fahd bin Sultan is governor of Tabuk province.

Salman bin Sultan is former deputy defense minister. Faisal bin Sultan (born 1951) is secretary general of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation. Other sons include Turki (1959–2012), Nayef (born 1979), Badr (born 1980), Saud, Ahmad (born 1983), Nawwaf, Abdullah, Mishaal (born 1988), Mansour, Fawwaz, Abdulmajid, and Abdul Ilah. Prince Khalid bin Sultan, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Prince Fahd bin Sultan, Prince Turki bin Sultan (1959–2012), Prince Faisal bin Sultan (married to Princess Mudhawi bint Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Saud, with two sons and two daughters), Prince Salman bin Sultan, Prince Nayef bin Sultan (born 1979, married to Princess Jawaher bint Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with daughters Nouf, Alia, and Lulwa), Prince Badr bin Sultan (born 1980), Prince Saud bin Sultan (married to Princess Mishaal bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with three children), Prince Nawaf bin Sultan (married to Princess Al Hanouf bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with children), Prince Ahmed bin Sultan (nicknamed Sahm, born 1983, married to Princess Hassa bint Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Prince Mansour bin Sultan (married to Princess Maha bint Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with a daughter), Prince Abdullah bin Sultan (married to Princess Reem bint Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Malik Al Sheikh, with three children), and Prince Mishaal bin Sultan (born 1988, married to Princess Noura bint Fahd bin Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with three children).

Health issues

Prince Sultan's health became a sensitive topic in 2003 when a foreign journalist was expelled from Saudi Arabia after reporting rumors that the prince had colon cancer. The following year, doctors confirmed the diagnosis, and Sultan underwent multiple surgeries to correct the problem. In 2005, he had a polyp removed from his intestine in Jeddah. He later visited a clinic in Switzerland in April 2008.

By April 2009, Sultan was showing signs of Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia. Earlier that year, in February, he had spent months in a New York hospital for surgery, then recovered in Agadir, Morocco. While he was away, King Abdullah reduced the Defense Ministry's influence by taking over defense purchases in 2009. In November 2010, Sultan met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri in Agadir to talk about Lebanon's government.

He returned to Saudi Arabia at the end of that month because King Abdullah had gone to the United States for surgery; Saudi law requires that only one of the two top leaders be abroad at a time.