Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( Ṭalāl bin ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Saʿūd; 15 August 1931 – 22 December 2018), also known as the Red Prince, was a Saudi Arabian politician, dissident, businessman, and philanthropist. A member of the House of Saud, he was notable for his liberal stance, striving for a national constitution, the full rule of law and equality before the law. He was also the leader of Free Princes Movement in the 1960s.

Early life

Prince Talal was born in Shubra Palace, Taif, on 15 August 1931 as the twentieth son of King Abdulaziz. His mother was an Armenian woman, Munaiyir, whose family escaped from the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, a period of turmoil in Armenia. British diplomats in Saudi Arabia regarded Munaiyir as one of Abdulaziz's favourite wives. She died in December 1991.

During the reign of King Saud, Talal and Nawwaf became bitter enemies, to the point of contesting their inheritances. Their full sister, Princess Madawi, died in November 2017.

Positions held Minister of Communications Prince Talal was made minister of communications when the office was established in 1952. Prince Talal became one of the wealthiest young princes, but his bureau suffered major corruption problems. Later, the ministry of communication was merged with the ministry of finance after Prince Talal's resignation.

Minister of Finance and National Economy King Saud appointed Prince Talal as minister of finance and national economy in 1960. He was removed from office on 11 September 1961. The reason for his dismissal was his proposal to establish a constitution in Saudi Arabia in September 1961. However, King Saud had no intention or plan to reform the political system. Therefore, he forced Prince Talal to resign from the cabinet. First, Prince Muhammed bin Saud and then, his full brother Prince Nawwaf succeeded him in the post. and his cousin Fahd bin Saad began to make statements on behalf of the Saudi Liberation Front. After four years, during which King Faisal offered tremendous financial inducements to the Free Princes, the latter were again reconciled with the royal family.

Views In September 1961 Prince Talal called for establishing a constitutional monarchy in Saudi Arabia and for closing the Dhahran Air Base which had been constructed by the US. Although he served in the cabinet led by King Saud, in August 1962, Prince Talal argued that King Saud had no quality to be the ruler of the country in the 20th century.

On 6 June 1999 Prince Talal publicly reported that the Kingdom should "find a smooth way to pass the monarchy to the next generation, or face a power struggle after the era of old royals passes." In 2001 he openly stated his support for the establishment of an elected assembly in Saudi Arabia. In September 2007, he announced his desire to form a political party to advance his goal of liberalizing the country.

In 2009, Prince Talal stated, "King Abdullah is the ruler. If he wills it, it will be done." However, in March 2009, he called on King Abdullah to clarify the appointment of Prince Nayef as second deputy prime minister. He publicly questioned whether it would make Prince Nayef the next crown prince. In his June 2012 Al Quds Al Arabi interview, Prince Talal stated that the princes on the Allegiance Council were not consulted on the succession of Prince Salman and that the Council became ineffective.

Various official and honorary positions

Prince Talal was one of the members of Al Saud Family Council which consisted of royals and was established by Crown Prince Abdullah in June 2000 to discuss private issues such as business activities of princes and marriages of princess to individuals who were not member of House of Saud.

Prince Talal was the chairman of Arab Gulf Program For The United Nations Development (AGFUND), which promoted socioeconomic development in the Middle East. As part of AGFUND, he led the board of trustees of the Arab Network for NGOs based in Cairo and established the Arab Open University. Through AGFUND, he provided significant monetary support for UNICEF and UNICEF declared him as its Special Envoy in 1980. He became UNESCO's Special Envoy for Water in 2002 to encourage the development of safe water.

Prince Talal was the president of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development. He also helped create the Mentor Foundation and was an honorary member of its board of trustees. He was also a prominent member of the League for Development of the Pasteur Institute

Philanthropy According to Riz Khan, "Prince Talal spent his post-political years developing humanitarian work, shedding the epithet 'The Red Prince' and becoming known as 'The Children's Prince' for his work with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund." Their children are Prince Al Waleed, The marriage collapsed in 1962; they remained separated until their divorce in 1968. One of his brothers in law was Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco, brother of King Hassan II of Morocco. Prince Abdallah of Morocco was married to another daughter of Riad Al Solh. Prince Talal hired one professor from the University of Houston and an instructor to teach English, psychology and Western civilization to his daughter Reema, who was 18 years old, in Riyadh in 1976.

His third wife was Moudie bint Abdul Mohsen Al Angari. They had three children: a son, Turki, and two daughters, Sara and Noura. Moudie and Talal were later divorced, and she died in 2008.

Lastly, Talal was married to Magdah bint Turki Al Sudairi, daughter of former Human Rights Commission President Turki bin Khaled Al Sudairi.

Prince Talal had a total of fifteen children, nine sons and six daughters. His sons are Faisal (died 1991), Al Waleed, Khalid, Turki, Abdulaziz, Abdul Rahman, Mansour, Mohammed and Mashour. His daughters are Reema, Sara, Noura, Al Jawhara, Hibatallah and Maha. From this information, it may be surmised that with his last wife, Magdah, he had six sons and three daughters. This may not be accurate, because he may also have had children by one or more concubines.

Death Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud died in Riyadh on 22 December 2018. His son Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal tweeted in Arabic language: "Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz has passed away on Saturday. May God forgive him and grant him heaven". Funeral prayers were held at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, Riyadh, following day.

Ancestry