Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud

Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud (; born 13 May 1950) is a retired Saudi Arabian politician and businessman who served as the Saudi Arabian minister of education from 2009 to 2013 in the administration of King Abdullah, his maternal uncle and father-in-law. He is a member of the House of Saud.

Early life and education Faisal bin Abdullah was born in Riyadh on 13 May 1950. He is one of the descendants of Saud bin Faisal. His mother is Nouf bint Abdulaziz Al Saud, a daughter of King Abdulaziz and the full sister of King Abdullah. Prince Faisal was responsible for the reorganization of GIP's administrative structure. He was also the chairman of steering committee of Al Aghar Group of Strategic Thought.

Faisal bin Abdullah was appointed minister of education to the Saudi cabinet on 14 February 2009, replacing Abdullah bin Saleh bin Obaid who had been in this post since 2005. At the time of the appointment, western news media reported that Faisal had earlier been involved in efforts to reduce extremist influences from the Saudi education system; his appointment was thought to reflect the King's intention to reinforce efforts to reduce the influence of extremists in the domain of education. However, his appointment as well as the others made in 2009 was regarded as a struggle for power rather than a dynamic of reform.

On 22 December 2013, Prince Faisal was removed from office upon his request and replaced by Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud in the post.

Views It was thought that Faisal bin Abdullah supported the reform initiatives of King Abdullah. Faisal bin Abdullah described King Abdullah as "the closest route between two points - a straight line." He further argued that the king perceived the things as straightforward. He further argued that it might be time for children to attend mixed-sex primary schools. Concerning the unavailability of physical education courses in public schools for female students in Saudi Arabia, he stated in August 2011 that the ministry was still reviewing the issue.

Membership Faisal bin Abdullah was the chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Sciences. He has a keen interest in heritage with a passion for archaeology. He supports the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) which was then headed by Sultan bin Salman. For him, SCTA is very crucial to preserve Saudi Arabia's heritage. Faisal bin Abdullah is in favor of more parallel efforts by related authorities to assist the SCTA to achieve its mission. president of the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association, (at the age of 14 in 1963 he attended the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Marathon, Greece); president of the Saudi national commission for childhood, and chairman of the board of trustees of the equestrian fund. He founded a think tank, dealing with the reform of higher education.

Personal life Faisal bin Abdullah is married to his first cousin Adila bint Abdullah, daughter of his maternal uncle King Abdullah. Princess Adila was one of only a few female members of the royal family to have a semi-public role. It was thought that Princess Adila was very significant backing for her husband's political initiatives. One of their daughters is a graduate of King's College in London.

As of 2010 Faisal bin Abdullah was living in Jeddah where he had moved in 1992 when he was appointed to the National Guard in the Western Province. He is a professional photographer. He took photographs of King Abdullah's daily life when the latter was crown prince, and published them in a book. Faisal bin Abdullah received an honorary doctorate degree from the Georgetown College in 2010.