Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey was one of the mistresses of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1793 until 1807.

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey – source: Wikipedia

Frances Twysden was born in London on February 25, 1753, the daughter of the late Rt. Rev. Dr. Philip Twysden, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and his second wife, Frances Carter. Rev. Twysden was a younger son of Sir William Twysden, 5th Baronet of Roydon Hall. He died in November 1752, before Frances’s birth, after allegedly being shot while trying to rob a stagecoach. She had one older sister, Mary (born 1751), who died in infancy.

On March 26, 1770, Frances married George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, who was more than twice her age. Villers had served in the House of Commons from 1756 until 1769 when he inherited the Earldom and took his seat in the House of Lords. He was a Lord of the Admiralty from 1761-1763, became a member of the Privy Council in 1765, and served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1765-1770. After becoming the 4th Earl in 1769, he served as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1769-1777, Master of the Buckhounds from 1782-1783, and several other positions at court over the next 30 years. He would later be appointed Master of the Horse to the Prince of Wales in 1795. Frances and Villiers had ten children:

The Prince of Wales, circa 1798. source: Wikipedia

Frances began her affair with the Prince of Wales in 1793, following a string of other discreet affairs she had had with others, including Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, and William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire – the husband of her close friend Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. By that time, George was secretly married to Maria Fitzherbert, but his wandering eye could not be kept in check. By the following year, Frances had convinced the Prince to end his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert and encouraged him to marry his future wife, Caroline of Brunswick. George and Caroline married in 1795, and Frances was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales. Frances and George continued their affair and before long, he brought Mrs. Fitzherbert back into his life as well. The two disliked each other greatly, but the Prince continued his affairs with both. Then, a new mistress made her appearance, The Marchioness of Hertford soon replaced Frances as the Prince of Wales’s mistress. By 1807, Frances lost her royal household position and left the court completely.

Having been widowed in 1805 and left with little financial means, Frances struggled to maintain the lifestyle expected of someone of her rank. She benefited only from the generosity of her son who increased her annual income and often paid off her debts.

The Dowager Countess of Jersey died in Cheltenham on July 25, 1821, at the age of 68. She is buried in the Villiers Family vault in Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Rosamund de Clifford, Mistress of Henry II, King of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Fair Rosamund by John William Waterhouse, 1916; Credit – Wikipedia

Known as “The Fair Rosamund”, Rosamund de Clifford was probably born in Herefordshire, West Midlands, England as that was where her family home Clifford Castle was located. Her birth date is unknown but she was the youngest of her parents’ six children. Rosamund’s father was born Walter Fitz Richard (1113–1190) and he married Margaret de Tosny. Margaret’s father Ralph de Tosny was granted the castle by King William I (the Conquerer) of England in 1075 after it was forfeited by a traitor. After the marriage of Ralph’s daughter, Margaret de Tosny to Walter Fitz Richard, Walter became steward of the castle and later claimed it for himself via his marriage. In 1162, he changed his name to Walter de Clifford and the castle came to be known as Clifford Castle.

There is incomplete and conflicting genealogical information but Rosamund probably had five siblings:

  • Gilbert de Clifford
  • Richard de Clifford
  • Amicia de Clifford, married (1) Osbern Fitz Hugh of Richard’s Castle (2) Bartholomew de Mortimer
  • Lucy de Clifford, married Hugh de Say of Stokesay
  • Walter de Clifford (died 1221) married Agnes de Cuni, had four children

Ruins of Clifford Castle; Credit – By Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4097700

Rosamund grew up at Clifford Castle before going to Godstow Abbey near Oxford, England to be educated by the nuns. Likely Rosamund first met King Henry II of England in 1163 when he was staying at Clifford Castle during the military campaign against the Welsh ruler Rhys ap Gruffudd. In 1166, Rosamund and Henry II began their affair. However, until 1174, almost no one knew about Rosamund’s relationship with Henry II.

Woodstock Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry had Rosamund housed at Woodstock Palace, a royal residence near Oxford, England. Woodstock Palace was mostly destroyed during the English Civil War. In the early 1700s, Blenheim Palace, the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, was built on the site, and stones from Woodstock Palace were used in its construction.

Henry II, King of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1174, the relationship between Henry II and Rosamund became public. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of England, Henry II’s wife had joined the uprising of their sons against her husband. Henry II eventually defeated the revolt and had Eleanor comfortably imprisoned for her part in inciting their sons. From that moment, Henry II began to live openly with Rosamund. Henry II had many mistresses and had treated earlier affairs discreetly, but he flaunted Rosamund. He may have done so to provoke Eleanor into seeking an annulment, but if so, Eleanor disappointed him as did the Pope who refused to consider a divorce. Nevertheless, rumors persisted, perhaps encouraged by Henry’s supporters, that Eleanor had Rosamund poisoned. In 1176, Rosamund became seriously ill and retired to Godstow Abbey near Oxford, where she died in the same year.

Godstow Abbey ruins; By Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14569666

Rosamund was buried at Godstow Abbey. King Henry II paid for her tomb in the choir of the abbey church and gave an endowment for the tomb to be tended by the nuns. Rosamund’s tomb became a popular local shrine until 1191, two years after Henry II’s death. Hugh of Lincoln, Bishop of Lincoln, while visiting Godstow Abbey, noticed Rosamund’s tomb right in front of the high altar. The tomb was covered with flowers and candles, evidence that the local people were praying there. Calling Rosamund a harlot, the bishop ordered her remains removed from the church. Her tomb was moved to the cemetery next to the nuns’ chapter house. Local people still prayed at Rosamund’s tomb but it was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIII.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Barber, Richard, 1964. Henry Plantagent 1133-1189. New York: Barnes and Noble.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Godstow. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godstow#History_of_Godstow_Abbey> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Rosamund Clifford. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosamund_Clifford> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Walter De Clifford (Died 1190). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_Clifford_(died_1190)> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Henry II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Клиффорд, Розамунда. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4,_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2020. Walter Fitz Richard Fitz Pons. [online] Available at: <http://www.thepeerage.com/p10486.htm#i104860> [Accessed 22 July 2020].

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand; Credit – https://thepattayanews.com/

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand is the only child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and his third wife Srirasmi Suwadi. He was born on April 29, 2005, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The prince’s parents divorced in 2014.

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Prince Dipangkorn with his parents in 2007

Prince Dipangkorn is the only officially recognized son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The prince has four much older half-brothers from his father’s second marriage, but they are not officially recognized as the king’s sons, since their mother fled the country with them. The 1924 Palace Law of Succession states that the king has the sole power and the prerogative to designate any descendant of the royal family as heir to the throne. The king also has absolute power to remove an heir apparent from the position. If he does so, his entire lineage is removed from any claim to the throne. The king can also exclude any member of the royalty from the line of succession. Prince Dipangkorn is eligible to be the heir to the throne of Thailand, but so are his much older half-sisters listed below. King Maha Vajiralongkorn has not yet named an heir.

Prince Dipangkorn has one half-sister from his father’s first marriage in 1977 to his maternal first cousin Princess Soamsavali Kitiyakara. After her divorce in 1993, Princess Soamsavali Kitiyakara retained her title as princess and remained a member of the Thai royal family.

Prince Dipangkorn has four half-brothers and one half-sister from his father’s second marriage to Thai actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth. Maha Vajiralongkorn began living with Yuvadhida Polpraserth shortly after his first marriage. They eventually married in February 1994, and she took the name Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya. In 1996, she fled to the United Kingdom with her children. The Crown Prince accused her of adultery and managed to retrieve their daughter and bring her back to Thailand. Sujarinee and the couple’s sons were stripped of their royal titles, and the couple’s marriage was dissolved. Known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, she moved with her sons to the United States.

  • Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979)
  • Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981)
  • Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983)
  • Vatcharawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985)
  • Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana (born 1987)
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Princess Sirivannavari (left) takes a photo as she stands with her half-brother Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (2nd left), half-sister Princess Bajrakitiyabha (center), father King Maha Vajiralongkorn (2nd right), and Queen Suthida (right) as they wave from the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall of the Grand Palace on the final day of the king’s royal coronation, May 6, 2019

Prince Dipangkorn started his education at Chitralada School in Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, initially founded in 1957 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej for the children of the royal family and palace staff. Today, the school accepts general students and has primary and secondary school programs. The prince now attends the Bavarian International School, located at the Schloss Haimhausen, a Rococo mansion located in Haimhausen, a short distance from Munich, Germany. Prince Dipangkorn lives in a villa with a pool in Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany, on Lake Starnberg with two dozen servants. There is speculation that Prince Dipangkorn has learning difficulties and that he is in a development program at the Bavarian International School. Further speculation suggests that after King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s death, Prince Dipangkorn will probably become King of Thailand, but his maternal aunt Princess Sirindhorn, or his eldest half-sibling Princess Bajrakitiyabha will rule.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipangkorn_Rasmijoti> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • Political Prisoners in Thailand. 2020. Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti – Political Prisoners In Thailand. [online] Available at: <https://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/tag/prince-dipangkorn-rasmijoti/> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • South China Morning Post. 2019. 5 Facts About Thailand’s Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. [online] Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3038884/5-things-know-about-prince-dipangkorn-rasmijoti-son-thai> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • Tanno, S., 2020. Thai King’s Son Lives A Life Of ‘Loneliness’ In German Villa. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8348229/Thai-King-Rama-Xs-son-lives-life-loneliness-rejection-German-villa.html> [Accessed 5 September 2020].

Queen Suthida of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Queen Suthida of Thailand; Credit – By Tris_T7 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79159558

Queen Suthida of Thailand is the fourth wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn who succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Thailand in 2016 after the 70-year reign of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The first three marriages of King Maha Vajiralongkorn all ended in divorce. Born Suthida Tidjai on June 3, 1978, in Hat Yai, Thailand, she is the daughter of Kham Tidjai and Jangheang Tidjai. She graduated from Hatyaiwittayalai School, a secondary school in Hat Yai, Thailand. Suthida then attended Assumption University, a private Catholic university with four campuses in Thailand, graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts.

Suthida was a flight attendant for JALways Airlines, now part of Japan Airlines, and then for Thai Airways. She met her future husband, then Crown Prince of Thailand, in 2013, and joined the palace guard later that year. She was promoted to deputy commander of the Crown Prince’s bodyguard unit in 2014. Suthida was linked romantically to the Crown Prince following his divorce from his third wife Srirasmi Suwadee in 2014. In October 2016, international media reports labeled Suthida as the designated King’s Consort, despite the palace never officially declaring their relationship. On December 1, 2016, Suthida was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the King’s Guard and promoted to the rank of General in the Royal Thai Army.

Embed from Getty Images 
Marriage Ceremony

On May 1, 2019, just days before his coronation, King Vajiralongkorn surprisingly married Suthida at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, a mansion on the grounds of Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. During the ceremony, broadcast on Thai television, Suthida prostrated herself on the ground before the King while offering him incense and flowers, according to royal tradition. The King appointed her Queen and granted her royal powers in front of a gathering of senior politicians and members of the Thai royal family.

Suthida prostrating herself before the King; Credit – https://www.tellerreport.com/

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Suthida. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthida> [Accessed 4 September 2020].
  • Global News. 2019. Flight Attendant, General, Royal: Meet Thailand’s New Queen. [online] Available at: <https://globalnews.ca/news/5230848/queen-suthida-thailand/> [Accessed 4 September 2020].
  • Los Angeles Times. 2019. King Vajiralongkorn Of Thailand Marries His Bodyguard, Now Queen Suthida. [online] Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-thai-king-bodyguard-queen-20190502-story.html> [Accessed 4 September 2020].

Princess Delphine of Belgium

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

HRH Princess Delphine of Belgium – formerly known as Delphine Boël – is the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.

Delphine and her daughter in 2008; photo: By Luc Van Braekel – https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucvanbraekel/2407637011/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26839140

Delphine Boël was born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium on February 22, 1968, the daughter of Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps and the then-Prince of Liège (the future Albert II, King of the Belgians). Sybille and Albert began an affair around 1964 which reportedly continued until 1982.  At the time of Delphine’s birth, Sybille was married to Jacques Boël, who was listed on the birth certificate as the child’s father. Her parents divorced in 1978, and four years later, her mother remarried. At that time, Delphine and her mother moved to London.

Delphine’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, in a television interview in 2013. source: VRT News

Delphine attended the Institut le Rosey, an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland, before enrolling at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts. She has worked as an artist for many years and has had numerous exhibitions of her work in Europe.

In 2003, Delphine married James O’Hare, an American, and the couple had two children, who are now a Prince and Princess of Belgium:

  • Princess Joséphine of Belgium (born 2003)
  • Prince Oscar of Belgium (born 2008)

Having had several exhibitions of her work in Belgium already, Delphine and her family moved to Brussels in 2003. After the move, her public profile began to rise again because of her art and her alleged relationship to King Albert II.

In 1999, in a biography of Queen Paola, the first public allegation was made of Sybille’s affair with King Albert II and the subsequent birth of their daughter. The Belgian royal court quickly dismissed the report as “gossip”, but King Albert seemed to refer to the situation later that year. In his Christmas message, he spoke of a “crisis” in his marriage some thirty years earlier that they had overcome, but of which they had been recently reminded. That would be the last public statement on the matter for many years.

Albert, Prince of Liege, c1964. source: Wikipedia

In May 2005, Delphine stated in an interview that she was King Albert’s daughter, having been told this by her mother when she reached the age of 18. She said that the future King had continued his relationship with her mother until around 1982 when he abruptly ended things and cut off all contact with them. She also alleged that when she and her mother moved to England, Albert thought about divorcing his wife and joining them, but Sybille was against the idea due to the impact it would have on Albert and his future role in the monarchy.

In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert’s biological child. The King was named in the suit, however, he had complete immunity from prosecution at the time, so she also named two of his legitimate children Philippe and Astrid. When King Albert II abdicated in September of that year, she withdrew the suit against Philippe and Astrid, now being able to file against the former King. In 2017, her claim was initially rejected, but that was overturned in October 2018 by the Court of Appeal. Based on DNA testing, it was proven that Jacques Boël was not her father, thus furthering her claims. The former King was instructed to provide a DNA sample, but he appealed that ruling. Again, the Court of Appeal upheld the order in May 2019 and imposed a fine of €5,000 per day until King Albert complied. Within weeks, a DNA sample was provided for testing, and in January 2020, the former King finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by the DNA testing.

On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate, a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.

Half-siblings Princess Delphine and Philippe, King of the Belgians meet for the first time; Credit – Belgian Monarchy Facebook

On October 9, 2020, Princess Delphine met her half-brother Philippe, King of the Belgians for the first time at Laeken Castle, the king’s residence. A common message from King Philippe and Princess Delphine was posted on Facebook: “This Friday, October 9th, we met for the first time at Laeken Castle. Our meeting was warm. We had the opportunity to get to know each other during a long and rich exchange that allowed us to talk about each other’s lives and shared interests. This bond will now develop in a family setting.”

A photo made available by the Belgian Royal Palace of Queen Paola, King Albert, and Princess Delphine; Credit – Belgium Royal Palace

On October 25, 2020, King Albert and his wife Queen Paola met with Princess Delphine for the first time since she was recognized as a royal at Belvédère Castle in Brussels. A joint statement by all three was released: “On Sunday, October 25, a new chapter began, filled with emotions, appeasement, understanding and also of hope. Our meeting took place at Belvédère Castle, a meeting during which each of us was able to express our feelings and experiences serenely and with empathy. After the turmoil, suffering, and hurt, it is time for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. Together we decided to take this new path. This will take patience and effort, but we are determined.”

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Maria FItzherbert, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Maria Fitzherbert was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom) from 1784 until 1794 and again from 1798 until 1807. The couple married secretly in 1785, however, the marriage was not considered legal as it had not received the approval of the Sovereign as required under the Royal Marriages Act.

Maria Fitzherbert. source: Wikipedia

Maria Anne Smythe was born on July 26, 1756, at Tong Castle in Shropshire, England, the eldest child of Walter Smythe, a younger son of Sir John Smythe, 3rd Baronet, and Mary Ann Errington. Her siblings included:

  • John Smythe (born 1758) – married, had issue
  • Frances Smythe (born circa 1760) – married Sir Carnaby Haggerston, 5th Baronet, had issue

Maria’s husband, Edward Weld. source: Wikipedia

In 1774, Maria married Edward Weld, a wealthy widower, twice her age. He was the son of Edward Weld and Mary Theresa Vaughan. Following his father’s death in 1761, Edward became one of the wealthiest men in England, having inherited Lulworth Castle in Dorset along with many other properties and villages. Maria became a very wealthy woman upon her marriage, but it was not to last. Just three months after their marriage, Edward died of injuries he sustained after falling from his horse. He had not yet signed a new will to provide for his wife, and his entire estate passed to his younger brother.

Left without any financial resources, Maria soon sought a new husband as soon as it was acceptable. In 1777, she married Thomas Fitzherbert, the son of Thomas Fitzherbert and Mary Theresa Throckmorton. The couple had one son who died in infancy, and Maria was once again widowed when her husband died on May 7, 1781. However, this time she was provided for, as Fitzherbert left her an annuity of £1,000 per year and a home in Mayfair, London.

The Prince of Wales, c1781. source: Wikipedia

After spending several years traveling throughout Europe, she returned to England in early 1784. One evening in March, she attended the opera with her uncle and was briefly introduced to the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. Quickly enamored, the Prince pursued Maria relentlessly. Soon she was accepting invitations to visit him at Carlton House, his home in London, next to St. James’s Palace, but made it clear that she had no interest in merely becoming his mistress. The Prince countered with an offer of marriage. Maria argued against it. There was no chance King George III would consent to his son’s marriage to Maria. Even if he did, Maria was Catholic, which would make the Prince ineligible to inherit the throne. But the Prince continued his pursuit, even threatening to kill himself if Maria would not marry him.

In July 1784, the Prince of Wales stabbed himself just enough to make it look like a serious suicide attempt. Maria, accompanied by the couple’s mutual friend, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was quickly taken to Carlton House, where they found the Prince again threatening to kill himself if she did not agree to marry him. Maria signed a document agreeing to marry him, knowing that the document would not be considered legal. She left England for France the next day, hoping the situation would cool off. But the Prince continued to pursue her, and Maria eventually agreed to return to England and marry him. When she returned to England in November 1785, the Prince of Wales searched for someone to conduct the marriage ceremony. He found a young curate, Reverand John Burt, who was in debtors’ prison at the time. Burt agreed to perform the ceremony in exchange for £500 to pay off his debts and a position as one of the Prince’s chaplains. Quickly settled, Maria and George married in her Mayfair home on December 15, 1785, with just her uncle and brother present as witnesses.

Maria and the Prince of Wales soon faced rumors, and questions were raised in Parliament, all of which were denied by friends of the prince. For the next several years, the two maintained their relationship very discreetly and seemed to be immensely happy. But by 1793, the marriage was beginning to break down. While Maria was perfectly content with quiet nights at home, the Prince of Wales preferred to be out on the town and continued his philandering ways. Soon, he found a permanent replacement for Maria, after beginning an affair with Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey. Lady Jersey convinced the Prince that he was so unpopular because of his relationship with the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert. Convinced that marrying an acceptable Protestant princess would be in his best interest, George informed Maria on June 23, 1794, that their relationship was over. Soon he found a bride, his cousin Caroline of Brunswick whom he married in April 1795. However, it seems Maria was still close to his heart, as the following year, he wrote his will, leaving everything “…to my Maria Fitzherbert, my wife, the wife of my heart.”

Steine House, Brighton. photo: By C.Suthorn / cc-by-sa-4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70710474

Within two years, the Prince of Wales began to pursue Maria once again, and by 1799, the two were again in a relationship. In 1804, Maria built Steine House in Brighton, which would become her residence for the rest of her life. By 1807, the Prince’s wandering eye once again turned its attention to someone else. The Marchioness of Hertford soon became his preferred companion, and Maria found herself pushed to the side again by 1809.

The Prince became King George IV in 1820, and during his 10-year reign, the two only saw each other occasionally in social settings, but both remained in each other’s thoughts. When King George IV died in June 1830, he was succeeded by his brother. The new King William IV was always very gracious and welcoming toward Maria and continued to provide her annual pension of £10,000 per year. King William IV reportedly offered her a dukedom, but she declined. She did, however, ask his permission to dress in widow’s weeds and to allow her servants to dress in royal livery, both of which the King quickly agreed to.

Maria outlived George IV by nearly seven years, passing away at Steine House in Brighton on March 27, 1837. She is buried at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Brighton.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait; Credit – By Cancillería Argentina – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrecic-argentina/45363322135/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81110649

Originally a sheikhdom ruled by local sheikhs, Kuwait became a British Protectorate in 1899. The sheikhs still had power during the British Protectorate. Kuwait was granted independence in 1961 and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 11th Ruler of Kuwait became the first Emir of Kuwait. The rulers of Kuwait belong to the House of Al-Sabah.

The Emir of Kuwait is nominated by a family council headed by prominent members of the family. The Crown Prince of Kuwait is also nominated by the family council and must be a senior member of the House of Al-Sabah. Both the Emir and the Crown Prince must be approved by the Kuwaiti parliament.

Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait was born on June 25, 1937, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He is the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 10th Ruler of Kuwait from 1944 – 1950 and Al-Yamamah. Nawaf grew up at Dasman Palace in Kuwait City with the sons and grandsons of his father. He was educated at the Al Mubarakiyya School, established in 1911 as one of Kuwait’s first modern educational institutions. Afterward, he attended university in the United Kingdom.

Nawaf married Sharifah Suleiman Al-Jasem in the 1950s. They had four sons and one daughter:

  • Ahmed bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1956), married Sheikha Basma bint Mubarak, had two sons and three daughters
  • Faisal bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1957, married Hana‘an, née Al-Badr, had two sons and two daughters
  • Abdullah bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1958), married ?, had four daughters
  • Salem bin Nawaf Al-Sabah (born 1960), married ?, had two sons and two daughters
  • Shekha bint Nawaf Al-Sabah, married Skeikh Jabir bin Duaij Al-Sabah, had three sons and one daughter
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Kuwaiti Interior Minister Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah attending a meeting of interior ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council states in October 2004

Before he became Emir, Nawaf was one of the most senior members of the House of Al-Sabah and served Kuwait in various capacities since 1962. Nawaf has played an important role in establishing programs that support national unity in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – except Iraq.  In Kuwait, Nawaf worked to encourage Kuwaiti youth to serve in all levels of government including the Kuwait National Guard, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of the Interior.

Nawaf bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah served in the following positions in the government of Kuwait:

  • Governor of Hawali (1962-1978)
  • Minister for the Interior (1978-1988, 2003-2006)
  • Minister for Defense (1988-1991, 1992-1994)
  • Minister for Social Affairs and Labor (1991-1992)
  • Deputy Chief of the National Guard (1994-2003)
  • First Deputy Prime Minister (2003-2006)
  • Crown Prince (2006-2020)

Upon the death of his half-brother Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was named by the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers as his successor. During a special session of the National Assembly on September 30, 2020, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait, took the constitutional oath as Emir of Kuwait.

Funeral of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

In 2021, it was reported that Nawaf had received treatment in the United States for an unspecified medical condition. On November 29, 2023, Nawaf was admitted to the hospital following an emergency health issue. Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait died on December 16, 2023, aged 86. Nawaf’s half-brother Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, succeeded as Emir of Kuwait. After a funeral for family only at the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Nawaf was buried at Sulaibikhat Cemetery in Kuwait City.

Burial site of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. نواف الأحمد الجابر الصباح. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD> [Accessed 30 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawaf_Al-Ahmad_Al-Jaber_Al-Sabah> [Accessed 30 September 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Genealogy Of Kuwait – Al-Sabah Dynasty. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Kuwait/kuwait14.htm> [Accessed 30 September 2020].

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia was born on March 21, 1921, in Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fahd was one of the twelve children of King Abdulaziz, the first King of Saudi Arabia, and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi (1900 – 1969), one of his many wives. Like Sarah Al Sudairi, the mother of King Abdulaziz, Hassa was a member of the influential Al Sudairi family. Abdulaziz married her twice. They first married in 1913, divorced after a few years, and then remarried in 1920. In the period between their first and second marriages, Hassa married Abdulaziz’s younger half-brother Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman, and had one son from this marriage. Abdulaziz remained in love with Hassa and forced his half-brother to divorce her so that he could remarry her.

Fahd and Salman, the two members of the Sudairi Seven who became kings; Credit – By Qrmoo3 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66343065

Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi and King Abdulaziz had seven sons and five daughters. No other wife of King Abdulaziz produced more sons than Hassa. In Arab culture, the most prominent wife is the one who gives birth to the largest number of sons and so Hassa became Abdulaziz’s most valued wife. Their sons are known as the Sudairi Seven.  The oldest son Fahd was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005, the second and fourth oldest sons Sultan and Nayef both served as Crown Prince but predeceased their half-brother King Abdullah, and the sixth-oldest son Salman succeeded Abdullah as King of Saudi Arabia in 2015. The Sudairi Seven were the largest bloc of full brothers among Abdulaziz’s sons and wielded a substantial amount of coordinated influence and power.

King Fahd had eleven younger full siblings:

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Five sons of King Abdulaziz board a plane at Herne Airport in Hampshire, England on August 31, 1945: Left to Right: Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Nawaf, Abdullah, Fahd, Mohammed, Faisal

Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. Abdulaziz was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. Fahd had many half-siblings, too numerous to list here. See Wikipedia: Descendants of Ibn Saud (Abdulaziz). The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons. Four of them were the half-brothers of Fahd, and one, Salman, was Fahd’s full-brother. King Fahd succeeded his half-brother King Khalid and was succeeded by his half-brother King Abdullah.

Fahd and his siblings were much younger than the previous Kings of Saudi Arabia and Abdulaziz’s other older children. By 1926, Abdulaziz had reached his goal of consolidating the Arabian peninsula and was then King of the dual Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd. In 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, during the childhood of Fahd and his siblings, the situation was more settled and stable.

Abdulaziz’s older sons were educated by tutors. However, by the time Fahd and his brothers were ready to be educated, their father had established the Princes’ School on the second floor of Deera Palace in Riyadh. Following his education at the Princes’ School, Fahd attended the Religious Knowledge Institute in Mecca where he studied Wahhabi Islam.

King Fahd was married at least thirteen times but divorced eight of his wives. He had six sons and four daughters. Only five wives had children.

Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi Al Saud (1923 – 1999), had five sons and one daughter

Al Jawhara bint Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, had one son, she divorced from her first husband to wed King Fahd

Princess Noura bint Turki bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Faisal Al Saud (died 2018), had one daughter, divorced

  • Princess Al Anoud bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Princess Tarfa bint Abdul Aziz bin Fahd bin Muammar, had one daughter, divorced

  • Princess Lulwa bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Princess Watfa bint Ubaid bin Ali Al-Jabr Al-Rasheed, had one daughter, divorced

  • Princess Al-Jawhara bint Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (died 2016)
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Crown Prince Fahd smiles as he poses for media prior to his talks at Elysee Palace in Paris with French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, July 21, 1975

In 1953, Fahd made his first official state visit, attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on behalf of his half-brother King Saud. He was the first Minister of Education, serving from 1954 – 1962. He then served as Minister of Interior from 1962 – 1975.

On March 25, 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot and killed by his 30-year-old nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. (See Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.) Faisal was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid and Fahd was immediately appointed Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. King Khalid suffered from ill-health before and during his reign and Crown Prince Fahd was often in charge of ruling the country. Upon the death of King Khalid on June 13, 1982, Fahd became King of Saudi Arabia. His half-brother, the future King Abdullah, was appointed Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on the same day. In 1986, King Fahd adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques replacing His Majesty, to signify an Islamic rather than a secular authority.

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Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and Queen Elizabeth II attend a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on March 1, 1987

In 1990, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led coalition troops in Saudi Arabia and later allowed American troops to be based there. This decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudis and his full-brothers, the Sudairi Seven, who objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil.

King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke on November 29, 1995. He became noticeably frail and had to use a cane and then a wheelchair. Although he still attended meetings and received selected visitors, Crown Prince Abdullah took on much of King Fahd’s responsibilities and acted as the de facto regent of Saudi Arabia.

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Members of the Saudi royal family pray over the body of King Fahd at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, August 2, 2005

On May 27, 2005, King Fahd was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for unspecified medical tests. He died on August 1, 2005, and was succeeded by his half-brother Abdullah. King Fahd’s body was carried to the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh for the funeral prayers. Many foreign dignitaries attended the funeral on August 2, 2005, including American Vice President Dick Cheney, French President Jacques Chirac, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. King Fahd’s body was then carried the short distance to the Al Oud cemetery. Only Saudi royal family members and Saudi citizens were present as the body was lowered into the grave.

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The grave of King Fahd

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. أسرة فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D9%81%D9%87%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D9%87%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Fahd Of Saudi Arabia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahd_of_Saudi_Arabia> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sudairi Seven. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudairi_Seven> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • House of Saud. 2020. Fahd Of Saudi Arabia – House Of Saud. [online] Available at: <https://houseofsaud.com/profiles/fahd-of-saudi-arabia/> [Accessed 3 September 2020].

King Khalid of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Khalid of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

King Khalid of Saudi Arabia was born in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on February 13, 1913. He was the second of the two sons and the second of the three children of the future King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Al Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Al Saud (1891–1919), one of Abdulaziz’s many wives. Al Jawhara bint Musaed was one of Abdulaziz’s favorite wives. They were married in 1908 when she was seventeen years old. In 1919, when Khalid was only six years old, his mother died during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic which also killed Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz, the eldest of all Abdulaziz’s sons. Abdulaziz was devastated when Al Jawhara bint Musaed died. Her room in the palace was kept the way it was when she died and only Abdulaziz’s beloved sister Princess Noura was allowed to enter the room.

Khalid had two full-siblings, a brother and a sister:

Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. Abdulaziz was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. Khalid had many half-siblings, too numerous to list here. See Wikipedia: Descendants of Ibn Saud (Abdulaziz). The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons and so five of them were the half-brothers of Khalid. King Khalid succeeded his assassinated half-brother King Faisal and was succeeded by his half-brother King Fahd.

Throughout his life, Khalid had a close relationship with his brother Muhammad. Until he died in 1988, Muhammad was a close confidant and senior adviser to Khalid while he was king and then to his half-brother King Fahd, Khalid’s successor. Like Abdulaziz’s other sons, Khalid studied Sharia law and the Quran. Under the supervision of his father, Khalid learned archery, horse-riding, tribal lineages, and the art of wars, politics, diplomacy, and administration in the traditional Arabian ways.

In 1902, Khalid’s father Abdulaziz had recaptured control of Riyadh, bringing the city under the control of the Al Saud. For the next 24 years, Abdulaziz consolidated the territory of the Arabian peninsula. In 1926, Abdulaziz reached his goal and was then King of the dual Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd. On September 23, 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

When he was just fourteen years old, Khalid was sent by his father as his representative to the desert tribes to hear their concerns and problems. During the reign of his father, Khalid was entrusted with many duties as his representative, especially in the field of diplomacy. Prince Khalid became an international figure as a result of his visits and service as a Saudi representative.

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Prince Khalid in 1943 looking at horseshoes from the royal stables

Khalid married six times but two of the marriages did not last long and are not listed below.

Latifa bint Ahmed Al-Sudairy, no children

Tarfa bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, no children

Noura bint Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1916 – 2011), two children

  • Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Saud (1935 – 2018)
  • Prince Abdullah bin Khalid Al Saud (born 1935), Chairman of the King Khalid Foundation

Seetah bint Fahd Al Damer (1922 – 2012), eight children

During the rivalry between King Saud, Saudi Arabia’s second king, and Crown Prince Faisal, which ultimately led to King Saud’s forced abdication in 1964, Prince Khalid supported Crown Prince Faisal. Khalid’s elder brother Muhammad was Crown Prince during the first few months (November 1964 – March 1965) of King Faisal’s reign. He then voluntarily stepped aside from the succession to allow his younger brother Prince Khalid, to become the heir apparent to the Saudi throne. On March 29, 1965, Khalid officially became the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He was also appointed the first Deputy Prime Minister. There is speculation that Khalid was chosen Crown Prince because it created intra-family consensus due to Khalid’s lack of interest in political machinations. Khalid asked King Faisal to remove him as Crown Prince several times. King Faisal always rejected the request because he felt Khalid’s presence as Crown Prince was necessary to keep peace within the House of Saud.

On March 25, 1975, 68-year-old King Faisal was shot and killed by his 30-year-old nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. (See Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia) Khalid, who did not even want to be Crown Prince, succeeded to the throne of Saudi Arabia.

Although King Khalid initially was reluctant to rule Saudi Arabia, he gradually warmed to his role and worked on improving the education, health-care, and infrastructure of Saudi Arabia during his seven-year reign. King Khalid had personal characteristics that made him a respected king. He was admired as an honest man who managed to have good relations with the traditional establishment of Saudi Arabia, and therefore, he was granted support by Saudi princes and other powerful forces of the country.

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Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom meets King Khalid during a visit to the Gulf States on February 18, 1979 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Khalid suffered from ill-health and perhaps that was one of the reasons that he was reluctant to take on the role of King of Saudi Arabia. In 1970, while he was Crown Prince, Khalid suffered a massive heart attack and in 1972, he had cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States. After he became king, Khalid had hip replacement surgery at Wellington Hospital in London, England in 1976, and a second cardiac surgery in 1978 at the Cleveland Clinic. In 1980, King Khalid had a minor heart attack. Because of King Khalid’s ill health, his half-brother and successor Crown Prince Fahd was often in charge of ruling the country.

King Khalid died on June 13, 1982, aged 69, in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia from a heart attack. On the day of his death, King Khalid’s body was brought from Ta’if to Mecca, Saudi Arabia where funeral prayers were said at the Great Mosque. He was then buried at the Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Al Oud cemetery – burials are in unmarked graves covered with mounds of stones; Credit – timenote.info

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Khalid Of Saudi Arabia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_of_Saudi_Arabia> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. King Abdulaziz Of Saudi Arabia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-abdulaziz-ibn-saud-of-saudi-arabia/> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. King Faisal Of Saudi Arabia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-faisal-of-saudi-arabia/> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
  • House of Saud. 2020. Khalid Of Saudi Arabia – House Of Saud. [online] Available at: <https://houseofsaud.com/profiles/khalid-of-saudi-arabia/> [Accessed 3 September 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1982. KHALID, QUIET KING AND DESERT HUNTER. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1982/06/14/208230.html?pageNumber=12> [Accessed 3 September 2020].

King Saud of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Saud of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the second King of Saudi Arabia, was born on January 15, 1902, in Kuwait City, Kuwait while the Al Saud family was in exile. His father was Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, the founder and the first king of Saudi Arabia. Saud’s mother, Wadhah bint Muhammad bin Hussein Al-Orair (died 1969) from the Qahtan tribe, was his father’s second of many wives. Abdulaziz’s first wife died six months after her marriage. Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. Abdulaziz was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 of whom 36 survived to adulthood.

In 1902, the year of Saud’s birth, his father Abdulaziz recaptured control of Riyadh, bringing the city under the control of the Al Saud. For the next 24 years, Abdulaziz consolidated the territory of the Arabian peninsula. In 1926, Abdulaziz reached his goal and was then King of the dual Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd. On September 23, 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On May 11, 1933, Abdulaziz appointed his eldest surviving son Saud as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Saud’s brother Turki who died at the age of 18; Credit – Wikipedia

Saud had five full siblings. His elder brother Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud died in 1919 at the age of 18 during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920.

  • Turki I bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1900 – 1919)
  • Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (died young)
  • Munira bint Abdulaziz Al Saud(died 1972)
  • Nura bint Abdulaziz Al Saud
  • Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (died young)

Saud had many half-siblings, too numerous to list here. See Wikipedia: Descendants of Ibn Saud (Abdulaziz). The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons and so five of them were the half-brothers of Saud. King Saud succeeded his father King Abdulaziz and was succeeded by his half-brother, King Faisal who had deposed him.

Saud was brought up in a home that included his parents, his brothers, and his paternal grandparents Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al-Saud and Sarah bint Ahmed Al-Sudairy. Saud and his older brother Turki were very close. Their paternal grandparents had a great impact on their upbringing. When he was five-years-old, Saud began studying Sharia law and the Quran. Under the supervision of his father Abdulaziz, Saud learned archery, horse-riding, tribal lineages, and the art of wars, politics, diplomacy, and administration in the traditional Arabian ways. From an early age, Saud accompanied his father on war-related, political, administrative, and diplomatic missions. Eventually, Abdulaziz entrusted Saud to conduct these missions on his own. In 1915, thirteen-year-old Saud led his first political mission delegation to Qatar and fought in his first battle.

King Saud with his son Prince Mashhoor in 1957; Credit – Wikipedia

Saud had an estimated 115 children and many wives, too numerous to list here. See Wikipedia: Wives and Children of King Saud.

During the reign of his father King Abdulaziz, Saud and his half-brother Faisal,  who was four years younger and succeeded Saud as King of Saudi Arabia, had great responsibilities in the establishment and operation of the new kingdom. On October 13, 1953, Saud was appointed Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. A month later, on November 9, 1953, King Abdulaziz died in his sleep from a heart attack with his son Prince Faisal, a future King of Saudi Arabia, at his bedside. In his will, King Abdulaziz stipulated that his sons should respect their different maternal ties, never turn against one another, and respect Islam and Wahhabi teachings. The kingdom was to be brought into modern times without destroying traditional values.

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Saud’s half-brother Faisal as Crown Prince in 1957

Prince Faisal had served as his father’s Foreign Minister beginning in 1930. Upon the death of his father King Abdulaziz and the accession of his half-brother King Saud in 1953, Faisal was appointed Crown Prince. King Saud remained Prime Minister and Faisal was appointed Deputy Prime Minister as well as continuing as Foreign Minister. However, unrest within the royal family over King Saud’s rule forced him to appoint Faisal as Prime Minister. An ongoing power struggle between the two half-brothers led to Faisal’s resignation as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in 1960. The continued discontent with King Saud’s reign allowed Faisal to become Prime Minister and Foreign Minister again in 1962.

During his reign, King Saud was responsible for creating numerous government ministries and the creation of King Saud University in the capital city of Riyadh. Saud wanted to empower his 53 sons by placing them in government positions. This upset his many half-brothers, who thought that Saud’s sons were too inexperienced, and they began to fear that he would select one of his sons to succeed him. Saud was also seen to use large sums of state funds for his own family and palaces at a time when Saudi Arabia was struggling to rise economically.

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King Saud with American President Dwight Eisenhower

King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal continued their power struggle when, in 1962, Prince Faisal formed a cabinet in the absence of King Saud, who had gone abroad for medical treatment. Faisal allied himself with his half-brothers Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Interior Minister and the future King of Saudi Arabia, and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Minister of Defense (from 1963 until his death) and the Crown Prince from 2005 until he died in 2011. The new government excluded any sons of King Saud.

When King Saud returned to Saudi Arabia, he threatened to mobilize the Royal Guard against his half-brother. In response, Faisal demanded King Saud make him regent and turn over all royal powers to him. Faisal had the support of the ulema, the elite Islamic scholars. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, a relative of Faisal on his mother’s side, issued a fatwa saying King Saud should accede to Faisal’s demands. When King Saud refused, Faisal ordered the National Guard to surround Saud’s palace. In March 1964, Saud finally agreed to name Faisal regent with full executive powers, reducing himself to a figurehead. In November 1964, the ulema, the cabinet, and senior members of the Saudi royal family forced Saud to abdicate and Faisal became king in his own right.

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Former King Saud with his daughter Princess Nazha bint Saud, his baby grandson Prince Abdulaziz, and an unnamed child on the left, October 10, 1968

Saud was forced into exile but lived quite comfortably with a retinue of forty people. He first settled in Geneva, Switzerland, then lived in palaces in Paris, France and the French Riviera. Saud then settled in Egypt in a magnificent palace in Heliopolis, and then in Greece at a large estate in Athens. On February 23, 1969, former King Saud died in Athens at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. His body was taken back to Saudi Arabia where the funeral ceremony took place at the Great Mosque in Mecca. He was quietly buried next to his father at Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh.

Al Oud cemetery – burials are in unmarked graves covered with mounds of stones; Credit – timenote.info

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. أسرة سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
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