Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud

Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; born 15 September 1945) is a Saudi Arabian politician, businessman, and former military aviator who was briefly Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from January to April 2015, during the first three months of his half-brother King Salman's reign. He is the 35th son of King Abdulaziz, born to Abdulaziz's Yemeni concubine Baraka. Since the death of Abdulaziz's 36th son Hamoud in 1994, Muqrin has been the youngest surviving son of the king.

Prince Muqrin served as the director general of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah from 2005 to 2012. In July 2012, he was appointed King Abdullah's advisor and special envoy with the rank of minister. On 27 March 2014, he was named deputy crown prince making him second in the line of succession behind his half-brother Salman. On 23 January 2015, upon King Abdullah's death and the accession of Salman, Muqrin became crown prince and first deputy prime minister. Only three months later, on 29 April 2015, King Salman dismissed Muqrin, replacing him with his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef.

Early life and education Muqrin bin Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh on 15 September 1945. and was a concubine of King Abdulaziz. She died in Riyadh on 22 August 2018.

Muqrin studied at the Riyadh Model Institute. He also received a diploma from the General Staff course in the United States in 1974. In 1965, he joined the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). He was named commander of the RSAF's 2nd air squadron in 1970. He had served in several positions in the RSAF from 1973 to 1977 before being appointed the adjutant to the director of air operations. and his tenure lasted until 1999.

On 24 November 1999, Prince Muqrin was appointed governor of Madinah Province as a successor to Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz. King Fahd ordered him to modernize the city in response to a wave of anti-government and anti-royalty demonstrations during Hajj. As governor, Prince Muqrin was considered a traditionalist. He remained in office until October 2005. Abdulaziz bin Majid succeeded him as governor of Madinah Province.

Director General of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah On 22 October 2005, King Abdullah appointed Prince Muqrin as director general of Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah. His appointment occurred nine months after the resignation of the former director general Prince Nawwaf.

Prince Muqrin organized a conference on combating internet militancy, particularly used by al Qaeda in 2007. He further declared that Al Mukhabarat al A'amah would set a website to inform citizens about threats to security and that the organization would be restructured to combat with AQAP. He successfully expelled Islamist militants from Saudi Arabia. It was argued by media that Prince Muqrin had been criticized during his term due to his approach towards some sensitive issues. On the other hand, Prince Muqrin was named advisor at the rank of minister and a special envoy to King Abdullah the same day. His responsibility was stated to be the affairs in southeast Asia.

Activities Prince Muqrin played an active role in Pakistani politics during his term at the Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah. After Pervez Musharraf's 1999 military coup on Nawaz Sharif, the Saudi government arranged a ten-year agreement with Pervez Musharraf to accept Nawaz Sharif as an exile. Because of Benazir Bhutto's early return from exile and the upcoming 2008 elections, Sharif attempted to return to Pakistan in 2007 against the advice of Prince Muqrin. However, Sharif was quickly deported from Pakistan and was greeted by Muqrin bin Abdulaziz at the Jeddah airport. Prince Muqrin was also involved in political reconciliation efforts in Pakistan.

On the other hand, Muqrin bin Abdulaziz and then foreign minister Prince Saud Al Faisal were reported to be in favor of pushing the sanctions against Iran instead of military action as King Abdullah insisted. However, Prince Muqrin also argued that Iran's interference in internal Gulf affairs, especially Iran's move in regard to nuclear arms, had very negative effects on the region and therefore, might cause an arms race among the Gulf states.

Business activities Muqrin bin Abdulaziz also has business activities. He was one of the founders of the Dar Al Maal Al Islami Trust which was initiated by Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud, King Faisal's son, in 1981. During his tenure as the governor of Hail province, he founded Hail Agricultural Development Company in 1982. In the late 1980s, the company was the largest wheat producer in the country. However, his maternal line was seen as a factor curtailing Muqrin's chance of becoming king; and he did not belong to the dominant Sudairi faction of the royal house. He was considered a longtime ally and confidant of King Abdullah, However, the Institute for Gulf Affairs reported in 2012 that, in an exchange of letters with his half-brother, Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Prince Muqrin argued for a harsher response to Shia unrest in the Eastern Province, an approach apparently vetoed by the crown prince. although he was not seen as a potential contender for the post by analysts. This post, which had been vacant since October 2011, is regarded as second in line to the Saudi throne. In practical terms, in this role Prince Muqrin was expected to handle daily running of the country whenever King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman were out of the country or could not deal with daily administrative affairs due to health concerns.

Deputy Crown Prince After almost a year with the post of second deputy prime minister vacant, Prince Muqrin was formally designated by royal decree in 2013. This meant that he was informally next in line, bypassing several senior princes. In order to make his place in the line of succession permanent and preclude any challenges by any of the dispossessed royals, King Abdullah polled each member of the Allegiance Council individually before announcing Muqrin's new title. Three-quarters of the Council members supported Prince Muqrin's new post.

Prince Muqrin's nomination, according to Reuters, gave more assurance to the kingdom's long-term succession process, proving prophetic with the efficient change of power upon the death of King Abdullah and the accession of King Salman on 23 January 2015. Salman simultenously elevated Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), then in his 30s, to the post of deputy crown prince. observers viewed his rapid removal as a surprise. Muqrin's treatment upon his ouster as crown prince was far different than that later accorded to MBN, who—after being ousted in a palace coup in 2017 led by MBS—was placed under house arrest, and had much of his wealth seized. She was president of the Women's Council when Prince Muqrin was Madinah governor. His daughters are Mudahawi, Sara, Mishail, Abta, Nuf, Lamiya, Jawahir, and Sara. His sons are Fahd, Abdulaziz, Faysal, Turki, Mansour and Bandar. Prince Turki is also a board member of the Saudi Aviation Club.

Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is said to enjoy astronomy, literature and Arabic poetry and has a large library containing thousands of books.

Honors Prince Muqrin is the recipient of several decorations, including King Abdulaziz Sash and the Order of Merit from the Egyptian Military Air Force.

Ancestry