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

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

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 which was 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 serving 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 been 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

Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait died on December 16, 2023, aged 86. 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. 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 on September 17, 2023, 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].

Lady Margaret Erskine, Mistress of James V, King of Scots

By Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Lady Margaret Erskine; Credit – The Lives of My Ancestors

James V, King of Scots had several mistresses but Lady Margaret Erskine was his favorite and the mother of the most important of his nine illegitimate children. Lady Margaret Erskine was born on October 8, 1515. She was the sixth of the nine children and the second of the four daughters of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine (1487 – 1555) and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox. In 1522, John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine was appointed guardian of the ten-year-old James V, King of Scots and Constable of Stirling Castle. Margaret’s father was a claimant to the Earldom of Mar and in 1565, Margaret’s elder brother John became Earl of Mar.

Margaret had eight siblings:

  • John Erskine, 6th Lord Erskine,18th Earl of Mar (died 1572), married Annabel Murray, daughter of Sir William Murray, 10th of Tullibardine, had two sons and one daughter
  • Robert Erskine, Master of Erskine (died 1547), married Lady Margaret Graham, daughter of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose, had one son, killed in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
  • Sir Alexander Erskine of Gogar (died 1592), married Margaret Home, daughter of George Home, 4th Lord Home, had seven sons and four daughters
  • Katherine Erskine, married Alexander Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Elphinstone, had five sons and four daughters
  • Thomas Erskine, Master of Erskine (died 1551), married Margaret Fleming, daughter of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming, no children
  • Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange (died circa 1570-1571), married Magdalen Livingston, daughter of Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston, no children
  • Janet Erskine, married John Murray of Touchadam, had one son and one daughter
  • Elizabeth Erskine, married Sir Walter Seton, 4th of Touch, had one son and one daughter

On July 11, 1527, Margaret married Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and was styled Lady Douglas of Lochleven.

Margaret and Robert had six children:

  • Euphemia Douglas, married Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay of the Byres, had one son and two daughters
  • Robert Douglas, 4th Earl of Buchan (died 1580), married Christina Stewart, 4th Countess of Buchan in her own right, had one son and three daughters
  • Sir George Douglas, married (1) Janet Lindsay, daughter of John Lindsay, 6th of Dowhill (2) Margaret Durie, had one daughter
  • Janet Douglas married Sir James Colville, had one son
  • Catherine Douglas married David Durie of that Ilk, had one son and one daughter (Note: “Of that Ilk” is a term used in the Scottish nobility to denote a clan chieftain in some Scottish clans.)
  • William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton (c. 1540 – 1606), married Lady Agnes Leslie, daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, had eleven children

James V, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Within a few years of her marriage, Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven, became the mistress of James V, King of Scots. James V was born at Linlithgow Palace in Scotland on April 10, 1512. He was the only surviving child of James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. Therefore, James V was the nephew of King Henry VIII and the first cousin of his children King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. 30-year-old James IV was killed by the English army at the Battle of Flodden, and his 17-month-old son succeeded him as James V, King of Scots.

Since Margaret’s father had been appointed guardian of the ten-year-old James V, King of Scots, Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven, and James had been acquainted from an early age. James V had nine illegitimate children, at least three of them were fathered before James V was 20 years old. His son with Margaret, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, born circa 1531, appears to be one of the three.

There is evidence that James V considered arranging the divorce of Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven, and her husband and then marrying her. It appears that in 1536, James V or an advisor asked Pope Paul III for his advice on the matter. On January 1, 1537, James married Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King François I of France, but the marriage lasted only six months as Madeleine died from tuberculosis. In 1538, James V married again to Marie of Guise, the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, and head of the House of Guise. James V and Marie of Guise had two sons who died in infancy and one daughter. When James V died on December 14, 1542, at the age of 30, his six-day-old daughter succeeded him as the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots.

The ruins of Loch Leven Castle; Credit – By Otter – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4169460

During their marriage, Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven, and her husband Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven lived at the family home, Loch Leven Castle set on an island in Loch Leven in central Scotland. On September 10, 1547, Robert and Margaret’s brother Robert Erskine, Master of Erskine were both killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, a catastrophic defeat for Scotland. It was part of the conflict known as the Rough Wooing. In the last years of his reign, King Henry VIII of England tried to gain an alliance with Scotland by arranging a marriage between two children, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry VIII’s son, the future King Edward VI. When diplomacy failed, and Scotland was on the point of an alliance with France, Henry launched a war against Scotland.

Because of the English hostilities, Scotland abandoned the possibility of an English marriage. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament approved Mary’s marriage to François, Dauphin of France, the son and heir of King Henri II of France. Five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years, after the death of her 16-year-old husband.

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray; Credit – Wikipedia

During Mary’s thirteen-year absence, the Protestant Reformation had swept through Scotland, led by John Knox, considered the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Therefore, Catholic Mary returned to a Scotland very different from the one she had left as a child. James Stewart, Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven’s son with James V, and Mary’s half-brother, had become Protestant as had most of Margaret’s family. Despite their religious differences, James Stewart became the chief advisor to his sister, and in September 1561, Mary created her half-brother Earl of Moray. Eventually, Mary’s behavior angered even her half-brother James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and he joined other Protestant lords in a rebellion.

Mary, Queen of Scots Escaping from Loch Leven Castle (1805); Credit – Wikipedia

In 1567-1568, Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle for ten months, where Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven, and her son William became her keepers. On July 24, 1567, at Loch Leven Castle, Mary was forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son who succeeded her as James VI, King of Scots.  James VI was Mary’s son by her second husband and first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.  Mary and Darnley were both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was made Regent for his nephew. In 1568, Mary escaped from her imprisonment at Loch Leven Castle with the help of Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven ’s son George Douglas. She made it to England only to be imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I for nineteen years and ultimately beheaded in 1587.

James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh preparing to assassinate the Earl of Moray; Credit – Wikipedia

James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Margaret’s son by James V, also had an unhappy ending. On January 23, 1570, in Linlithgow, Scotland, while still serving as Regent for his nephew James VI, King of Scots, the 39-year-old Earl of Moray was assassinated by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots. It was the first assassination by a firearm in recorded history. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was buried at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. Seven earls and lords carried his body into the church.  John Knox, the Scottish minister, a leader of Scotland’s Reformation, and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, preached at the funeral. Margaret, Lady Douglas of Loch Leven survived her son by two years, dying on May 5, 1572, at the age of 57.

John Knox preaching the funeral sermon of the Earl of Moray, depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Gile’s Cathedral; Credit – By CPClegg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82436877

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. James Stewart, 1St Earl Of Moray. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart,_1st_Earl_of_Moray> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John Erskine, 5Th Lord Erskine. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Erskine,_5th_Lord_Erskine> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Loch Leven Castle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Leven_Castle> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Margaret Erskine. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Erskine> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. James V, King Of Scots. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-v-king-of-scots/> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2020. John Erskine, 5Th Lord Erskine – Person Page. [online] Available at: <http://www.thepeerage.com/p10834.htm#i108333> [Accessed 22 July 2020].

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

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 were able to wield 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 had been 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 his death 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

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 in 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 or 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 years of 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 the creation of numerous government ministries, as well as 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 on 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].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Saud Ibn Abd Al-Aziz. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saud_ibn_Abd_al-Aziz> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Saud Of Saudi Arabia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saud_of_Saudi_Arabia> [Accessed 2 September 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Saúd Bin Abdulaziz. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%C3%BAd_bin_Abdulaziz> [Accessed 2 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].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1969. King Saud Of Saudi Arabia Dies; Ruled Oil-Rich Land 1953-64; King Saud Of Saudi Arabia Dies; Ruled Oil. Rich Land 1953-64. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/02/24/77443810.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0> [Accessed 2 September 2020].

King Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud) of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

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

Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud was the first King of Saudi Arabia. Sometimes known as Ibn Saud, he was born on January 15, 1876, in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His parents were Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud, Emir of Nejd (1845 – 1928), and Princess Sarah bint Ahmed Al-Sudairy (died 1910), one of his father’s nine wives.

Abdulaziz had five full siblings and 18 half-siblings. His full siblings were:

The current royal family of Saudi Arabia, known as the Al Saud, has its roots in Nejd, the geographical central region of today’s Saudi Arabia. In 1744, the founder of the dynasty, Muhammad bin Saud, joined forces with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder of Wahhabism, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam that is the official, state-sponsored form of Islam still practiced in Saudi Arabia today. This alliance formed the ideology for Saudi expansion and has remained the foundation of the Saudi Arabian dynasty

The first Saudi state was established in 1744 in the area around Riyadh, and it expanded until it controlled most of present-day Saudi Arabia. In 1818, Mohammed Ali Pasha, the Ottoman Empire Viceroy of Egypt, won a victory against the Saudi state, greatly reducing its territory. A much smaller second Saudi state, located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824. The Al Saud battled for control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, the Al Rashid. In 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.

A family member who had a profound effect on Abdulaziz was his paternal aunt Jawhara bint Faisal. Starting when he was a young boy, she instilled in him a strong sense of family. During the years when the Al Saud were living in exile in Kuwait, Jawhara bint Faisal told Abdulaziz stories of his ancestors and encouraged him not to be satisfied with the family’s current situation. She was instrumental in Abdulaziz’s decision to return to Nejd from Kuwait and regain the family’s territories. Jawhara bint Faisal remained one of Abdulaziz’s most trusted and influential advisors all her life and was deeply respected by all of his children. Abdulaziz visited his aunt every day until she died around 1930.

Abdulaziz in 1910; Credit – Wikipedia

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire still controlled most of the Arabian peninsula with tribal leaders having local control. In 1902, Abdulaziz recaptured control of Riyadh, bringing the city under the control of the Al Saud. In 1913, with the support of the Ikhwan, a tribal army inspired by Wahhabism and led by Faisal Al-Dawish, Abdulaziz captured more territory from the Ottomans.

In 1916, with the encouragement and support of the British, who were fighting the Ottomans in World War I, Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, led a pan-Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state. Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 – 1918 failed in its objective, the Allied victory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman Empire and its control in Arabia and Hussein bin Ali became King of Hejaz, the western portion of the Arabian peninsula.

Abdulaziz did not become involved in the Arab Revolt but instead continued his battles with the Al Rashid. In 1921, he finally defeated the Al Rashid in Nejd and took the title Sultan of Nejd. From 1924 – 1925, Abdulaziz, again with the help of the Ikhwan, the tribal army inspired by Wahhabism, fought Hussein bin Ali for the Kingdom of Hejaz and ultimately declared himself King of Hejaz. In 1926, Abdulaziz upgraded his title in Nejd to King of Nejd. For the next five years, he administered the two parts of his dual kingdom as separate units.

Abdulaziz inspects the cannons he seized from the Ottoman Empire in 1922; Credit – Wikipedia

After the conquest of Hejaz, the leadership of the Ikhwan sought to expand its brand of Islam into the British protectorates of Transjordan, Iraq, and Kuwait and began raiding those territories. Abdulaziz opposed this because he believed it was dangerous to come into direct conflict with the British. Eventually, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Abdulaziz’s policies which favored modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the dual kingdom. As a result, the Ikhwan turned against Abdulaziz and, after a two-year struggle, they were defeated and their leaders were killed at the Battle of Sabilla in 1929. On September 23, 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and that date is now a national holiday called Saudi National Day. Before he declared himself King of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz had to distance and contain the ambitions of his five brothers, particularly his elder half-brother Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman.

In 1933, Abdulaziz appointed his second but eldest surviving son Saud as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz’s eldest son Turki bin Abdulaziz had been the Crown Prince of the Kingdoms of Nejd and Hejaz but Turki died at age 18 during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic and his younger full-brother Saud had been appointed Crown Prince of Nejd and Hejaz. Abdulaziz had many quarrels with his elder half-brother Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman as to who should be appointed Crown Prince. Muhammad had wanted his son Khalid to be appointed Crown Prince.

Embed from Getty Images 
Abdulaziz (center) with five of his sons and a group of palace servants in Riyadh, circa 1930

Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising of several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. He was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. His children are 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.

King Abdulaziz (seated) with his son Crown Prince Saud; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Abdulaziz left most of his duties to his son Crown Prince Saud and spent most of his time in the city of Ta’if, located on the slopes of the Hejaz Mountains and known as the unofficial summer capital of Saudi Arabia. In the final years of his life, Abdulaziz suffered from heart disease, arthritis, and partial blindness. On November 9, 1953, Abdulaziz died in his sleep from a heart attack at his palace in Ta’if with his son Prince Faisal, a future King of Saudi Arabia, at his bedside. He was buried in Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next to his beloved sister Noura who died in 1950. Abdulaziz was very close to Noura and often identified himself with “I am the brother of Noura.”

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. عبد الرحمن بن فيصل بن تركي آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%86_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B5%D9%84_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF> [Accessed 31 August 2020].
  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%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 31 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_bin_Faisal> [Accessed 31 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Ibn Saud. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Saud> [Accessed 31 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Saudi Arabia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia> [Accessed 31 August 2020].

Mary Robinson, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV, while he was still Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years.

source: Wikipedia

Mary Darby was born in Bristol on November 27, 1757 to Naval Captain Nicholas Darby and Hester Vanacott. While Mary was very young, her father left the family, leaving her mother to support herself and five children. She did this by opening a school for young girls, where Mary also taught before she was even 14 years old. After the school closed, she attended a school in London run by Hanna More, and there she caught the attention of famed actor David Garrick, who encouraged her to get involved in the theater.

However, her mother encouraged her instead to accept a proposal from Thomas Robinson – a clerk who claimed to have a large inheritance. Initially against the idea, Mary relented after Robinson had helped take care of her and her younger brother while both were quite ill. The couple married in April 1774 and Mary soon discovered that her husband did not have any inheritance, nor was he much of a devoted husband. The couple had one child – a daughter named Mary Elizabeth Robinson – who was born in November 1774.

When her husband was put into Debtor’s Prison in 1775, Mary went with him, living there with their six-month-old daughter for nearly 15 months until he was released. While there, Mary discovered that she could publish some of her poetry to make a living. Her first book of poetry – Poems By Mrs. Robinson – was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry — Captivity.

Mary Robinson as Perdita, 1782, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

In 1776, following her husband’s release, Mary decided to return to the theater, appearing in several roles at the Drury Lane Theater. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales who attended a performance and was instantly smitten. The Prince pursued her relentlessly, but Mary refused his advances for some time. She was a married woman (although mostly estranged from her husband), and she was an actress. A relationship with the Prince would mean giving up what was becoming a financially successful career. The Prince promised her £20,000 – in writing – to compensate for giving up her livelihood to become his mistress. Maria eventually relented, and following her final performance in May 1780, she gave in to the Prince’s advances.

The Prince of Wales, c1781, portrait by Richard Cosway. source: Wikipedia

The relationship was relatively short-lived. In December 1780, she received a message from the Prince, telling her that they must end their relationship.  Unbeknownst to Mary, the Prince had moved on to a new mistress – something he would continue to do quite often for the rest of his life.  Despite a brief meeting a few days later, the relationship came to an abrupt end.  Mary now found herself without any means of support – emotionally or financially.  She decided that publishing her correspondence with the Prince would provide her with a significant income. When King George III was made aware of this, he quickly dispatched the Prince’s treasurer to arrange a settlement. Eventually, she received a payment of £5,000 in exchange for the letters. But Mary had another ace up her sleeve. Finding that the settlement barely covered her debts, she decided to pursue the Prince’s promise of £20,000. The King’s representative argued that the document from the Prince was invalid as he was underage, but Mary was unwilling to accept that as final. She asked for an annual annuity in exchange for the document, and eventually, she was successful. The matter was settled in August 1781, when it was agreed that she would receive £500 annually and that upon her death, her daughter would continue to receive half that amount.

Banastre Tarleton, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

Mary Robinson, by now living separately from her husband, had several more affairs, including a long-term liaison with Banastre Tarleton, a distinguished soldier. She became mysteriously ill in 1783, and although she recovered, she was left partially paralyzed and frail. She turned her attention back to her writing – publishing several books of poetry, eight novels, three plays, and her memoirs. She became a champion of women’s rights and an outspoken supporter of the French Revolution.

Despite her financial settlements with the Crown, Mary Robinson died in relative poverty in Englefield Green, Surrey, England on December 26, 1800 at just 44 years old. She was buried at St. Peter and St. Andrew Churchyard in Windsor, Berkshire, England. Her estranged husband was granted administration of her estate, and Mary had instructed her daughter to publish the rest of her works after her death.  And although her brief affair with the Prince of Wales was long in the past, she left a request upon her death that a lock of her hair be cut off and sent to the Prince.  It is said that upon the future King George IV’s death in 1830, he requested that a lock of hair be buried with him.

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.

Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya, Ballerina, Mistress of the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, Mistress of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Mistress and Wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

  • Patronymics: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya was one of the most famous ballerinas of the Maryinsky Ballet (now the Kirov Ballet) in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was awarded the title prima ballerina assoluta, traditionally reserved only for the most exceptional ballerinas of their generation. Mathilde was born on August 31, 1872, in Ligovo, Peterhof, Russia near St. Petersburg. She was the youngest of the four children and the second of the two daughters of Feliks Krzesiński (1821 – 1905) and Julia Dymiński (1830 – 1912) who were both dancers born in Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a dancer with the Maryinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg from 1853-1898, specializing in character dance, particularly the mazurka. Her mother was a former ballet dancer and the widow of the French dancer Théodore Ledé with whom she had nine children but only five survived infancy. Mathilde was baptized Maria Mathilde on November 20, 1872, at St. Stanisłav Roman Catholic Church in St. Petersburg but used her middle name professionally. There are several versions of her surname in Russian and Polish.

Mathilde’s father and mother; Credit- Wikipedia

Mathilde had three older siblings:

  • Stanislav Feliksovich Kschessinsky (1864 – 1868), died in childhood
  • Julia Feliksovna Kschessinskaya (1866 – 1969), married Baron Alexander Zeddeler, an officer in the Preobrazhensky Guards, friend and adjutant of Emperor Nicholas II, no children
  • Josef Feliksovich Kschessinsky (1868 – 1942), married (1) Serafina Alexandrovna Astafieva, a fellow dancer, and later a ballet teacher in London, England, had one son, divorced (2) Celina Sprechinska, a fellow dancer, had one son and one daughter (3) Marie-Antoinette, surname unknown, died in 1942

Mathilde’s sister Julia and her brother Josef both graduated from the Imperial Ballet School School in St. Petersburg, Russia, (now the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet), the school of the Maryinsky Ballet. Both danced with the Maryinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia where they were both character dancers like their father. Julia and her husband fled from Russia during the Russian Revolution, and she died in France at the age of 103. Josef remained in Russia as it became the Communist Soviet Union and like his father, had a long career. In 1927, he received the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, and the following year, Josef gave his farewell performance. However, he did not retire but choreographed and staged ballets. In August 1942, Josef and his third wife both died during the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad was the Soviet name for St. Petersburg.

When Mathilde was three-years-old, her father began teaching her dance and she often accompanied him to the theater. In 1880, eight-year-old Mathilde was accepted to the Imperial Ballet School. She studied and trained at the Imperial Ballet School for ten years, graduating in 1890.

The Imperial Family always attended the graduation performances of the Imperial Ballet School and so in the audience was Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his family including his son and heir the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. The Imperial Family watched as Mathilde performed a pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée with a male graduating student. Afterward, the graduates were presented to the Imperial Family and Emperor Alexander III told Mathilde to “be the glory and adornment of our ballet.” At the post-performance supper, Emperor Alexander III insisted that Mathilde sit next to him and then motioned his son and heir Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich to sit on her other side – and so the seventeen-year-old Mathilde met the twenty-two-year-old Nicholas for the first time.

Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich in 1902, during his affair with Mathilde; Credit – Wikipedia

According to Mathilde’s later recollections, she had a relationship with Nicholas from 1890 – 1894. To facilitate their meetings, the imperial court rented a villa in St. Petersburg. The relationship ended when Nicholas became engaged to Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine in April 1894. Mathilde was generously compensated with the villa that had served as their meeting place and a sum of money. Nicholas II never met her in private after that, but he often watched her performances and always supported her discreetly whenever she needed it.

Credit – Wikipedia

Mathilde dancing the mazurka with her father; Credit – Wikipedia

After her graduation in 1890, Mathilde had a career with the Maryinsky Ballet until the Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. She appeared in solo roles in many ballets, including Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Nikia in La Bayadere, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the dual role of Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, and Giselle in Giselle, often partnered by Nikolai Legat or the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky. Mathilde also danced character roles with her father, most often they danced the mazurka as they did in the St. Petersburg premiere of Swan Lake.

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

When Tsesarevich Nicholas broke off his relationship with Mathilde, he asked his twenty-five-year-old first cousin once removed, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich (1869 – 1918), to take care of her. From 1894 until the 1917 Russian Revolution, Grand Duke Sergei was Mathilde’s protector and lover and he provided generously for her. Mathilde, who was ambitious, used her connections to the Romanovs to promote her career. Grand Duke Sergei was president of the Imperial Theatres Society and used his influence to help promote Mathilde’s career with the Maryinsky Ballet. Sergei was devoted to Mathilde but she was not in love with him. He never married but he found that Mathilde provided him with a substitute for family life. Sadly, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich was one of the five Romanovs executed by the Bolsheviks with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II’s wife.

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich in 1900, the year he met Mathilde; Credit – Wikipedia

At the same time, Mathilde was involved in a relationship with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, she was also involved with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich (1879 – 1956), a first cousin of Emperor Nicholas II. Grand Duke Andrei was the youngest of the four sons and the fourth of the five children of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the second surviving son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna).

In February 1900, Grand Duke Andrei was invited by his brothers Grand Duke Kirill and Grand Duke Boris, to a dinner party at Mathilde’s home. Mathilde was attracted to the good-looking Grand Duke Andrei. As she was not in love with Grand Sergei, Mathilde pursued a relationship with Grand Duke Andrei. Mathilde and Andrei were lovers by July 1900. Grand Duke Sergei tolerated their affair, remaining a close and loyal friend to Mathilde but the relationship between the two grand dukes grew tense. They tried to avoid each other and remain civil while sharing the same woman for almost two decades.

Andrei, Mathilde, and her son Vladimir, circa 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

The relationship between the three became more complicated when Mathilde became pregnant. On June 18, 1902, Mathilde gave birth to a son. Both grand dukes were convinced that they were the infant’s father. The newborn was named Vladimir and was known as Vova in the family. A decree issued on October 15, 1911, gave nine-year-old Vladimir the patronymic Sergeevich (meaning son of Sergei) and the surname Krasinsky (according to family tradition, Mathilde’s family descended from Counts Krasinsky). Grand Duke Sergei took on the role of father and looked after Vladimir and Mathilde until his circumstances during the Russian Revolution no longer permitted him to do so. Meanwhile, Mathilde and Andrei continued their affair.

From left to right seated: Baron Alexander Zeddeler (Julia’s husband); Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Mathilde’s son Vladimir with his aunt Julia (Mathilde’s sister) behind him; Mathilde with two unidentified children; Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich,1909; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1916, Grand Duke Andrei had been one of the Romanov family members who objected to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna being in charge of the government while her husband Emperor Nicholas II was away at military headquarters during World War I. In December 1916, the murder of the controversial Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin who had befriended the family of Emperor Nicholas II, by Andrei’s first cousin Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Prince Felix Yusupov, the husband of his first cousin Princess Irina Alexandrovna, further fractured the Romanov family. When Andrei’s ambitious mother intrigued against Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II ordered the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna to temporarily leave Saint Petersburg. In early 1917, Grand Duke Andrei and his mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna left for Kislovodsk, a spa resort town in the Caucasus, an area in Russia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, Nicholas II, Emperor of all Russia abdicated in March 1917 and the Russian Revolution was in its beginnings. In July 1917, Mathilde and her son escaped from the turmoil in Saint Petersburg and joined Andrei in Kislovodsk.

Andrei’s mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna still hoped that her own eldest son Kirill, would one day be Emperor of All Russia. When other Romanovs were leaving Russia, including her son Kirill and his family, Maria Pavlovna spent 1917-1918 with her son Boris, her son Andrei, and Mathilde along with her son Vladimir in the war-torn Caucasus. With the advance of the Bolsheviks, they fled to Anapa, Russia on the Black Sea, where they spent another fourteen months. When the Commander of the White Army told Maria Pavlovna that the Bolsheviks were going to win the Russian Civil War, she finally agreed to go into exile. On February 13, 1920, Maria Pavlovna, her son Andrei, his mistress Matilde and her son Vladimir boarded an Italian ship headed to Venice. They made their way from Venice to Switzerland and then to France. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna did not live long in exile, dying in Contrexéville, France on September 6, 1920.

Russian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Cannes, France where Mathilde and Andrei were finally married; Credit – By Иерей Максим Массалитин – originally posted to Flickr as Завтра зима, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9099069

After the death of his mother, Andrei felt that he would finally be able to marry Mathilde. Andrei asked for and received permission to marry Mathilde from his brother Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, the Head of the Romanov Family since the murders of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, and from Empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Nicholas II. Mathilde and Andrei were married in a simple ceremony in the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Cannes, France on January 30, 1921.

After the Russian Revolution, Mathilde and Grand Duke Andrei maintained that Andrei was the father of Mathilde’s son. In 1921, shortly after Mathilde and Andrei’s wedding, Vladimir was adopted by Grand Duke Andrei and his patronymic was changed to Andreievich, son of Andrei. However, the question of Vladimir’s paternity remains unresolved but most historians believe that Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, whom Vladimir resembled, was his father. On November 30, 1926, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Head of the Romanov Family, gave Mathilde, who had converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and her son Vladimir, the title and surname of the Prince/Princess of Krasinsky. On July 28, 1935, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich gave Mathilde and her son the surname Romanovsky-Krasinsky, and so they were formally styled Princess Maria Romanovsky-Krasinsky and Prince Vladimir Andreievich Romanovsky-Krasinsky.

Cap-d’Ail, France where Mathilde and Andrei lived in exile for a while; Credit – Par Gilbert Bochenek — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18109477

Andrei and Mathilde were able to live more comfortably than some of the other exiled Romanovs. Before the Russian Revolution, Andrei had bought the Villa Alam in Cap-d’Ail, France, bordering Monaco, in Mathilde’s name, and so it did not have to be sold when Nicholas II had ordered all Romanov foreign property to be sold during World War I. To have a cash flow and maintain his standard of living, Andrei sold the jewel collection that he inherited from his mother and he mortgaged Villa Alam. However, their standard of living did not last long. Both Mathilde and Andrei liked to gamble and lost huge sums of money at the gambling tables in Monte Carlo and the rest of their money was lost in the stock market crash of 1929. Mathilde and Andrei were forced to sell the Villa Alam. They moved to Paris where they lived in the 16th arrondissement.

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Mathilde, on the right, at her dance school in Paris

In 1929, Mathilde opened a ballet school to provide income for the family. During the 1930s, Mathilde’s ballet school prospered, allowing her family to live a modest, yet comfortable life. Her students included some of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century including Dame Margot Fonteyn of Britain’s Royal Ballet, Dame Alicia Markova of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (Fonteyn and Markova are the only two British ballerinas to be recognized as a prima ballerina assoluta), André Eglevsky who danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, Tatiana Riabouchinska who danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and Tamara Toumanova who also danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (Riabouchinska and Toumanova were two members of the famous trio called the Baby Ballerinas).

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich between his wife Mathilde and his first cousin Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in Paris. 1953; Credit – Wikipedia

As Andrei aged, his health worsened as did the family finances. Andrei and Mathilde were forced to sell their home in Paris and rent instead. They relied on financial aid from Andrei’s nephew Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, who was the Head of the Romanov Family, and some of Mathilde’s friends and former students, such as British ballerina Margot Fonteyn. On October 31, 1956, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich died at the age of 77 in Paris, France. Mathilde survived him by fifteen years, dying in Paris on December 6, 1971, at the age of 99. Mathilde and Andrei’s son Vladimir never married. He died in Paris, France on April 23, 1974, aged 71. Vladimir was buried with his parents at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery in Paris, France.

Grave of Andrei, Mathilde and their son Vladimir; Credit – Автор: Muumi – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62393803

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. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Of Russia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Andrei_Vladimirovich_of_Russia> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

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Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn
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The newborn Crown Prince and his parents

Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco is the heir apparent to the throne of Morocco. Born on May 8, 2003, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco, he is the eldest child and the only son of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Salma Bennani, now known as Princess Lalla Salma. The Crown Prince was named after his paternal grandfather King Hassan II of Morocco.

Crown Prince Hassan has one younger sister:

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King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan pray at the tomb of King Hassan II in 2010

After his primary education, Crown Prince Hassan attended the Royal Academy, a school located at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco. This school was founded in 1942 by his great-grandfather King Mohammed V who wanted to send his son, the future King Hassan II, to the Ecole des Roches in France but was unable to do so because of World War II. Since then, the school has opened a class for each senior prince or princess of the royal family of Morocco with other students of a similar age also attending.

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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan in 2013

At the end of his second year at the Royal Academy, Hassan decided he wanted to become a pilot. He then switched schools and began attending the Preparatory College in Aeronautical Techniques in Marrakech, Morocco where he pursued his academic studies and pilot training. King Mohammed VI had no objections to his son’s decision to become a pilot as long as he continued his training to become King of Morocco. That training includes learning about dress code and table manners when receiving foreign delegations, public speechmaking, presiding over official events, managing business portfolios, and initiating political and diplomatic debates behind closed doors.

The Crown Prince completed his secondary education in the spring of 2020. In July 2020, it was announced that Hassan has passed the 2020 baccalaureate exams with honors and received his international baccalaureate in the field of economics and social sciences. During the 2020 – 2021 academic year, Hassan studied humanities and social sciences at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The Crown Prince is fluent in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish.

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French President Emmanuel Macron meets with King Mohammed and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan at the Royal Palace in Rabat on June 14, 2017

Crown Prince Hassan made his first official public appearance in 2014 and since then has attended high-level meetings with his father King Mohammed VI. He was the youngest participant at the One Planet Summit in France in December 2017, earning him international admiration. Hassan represents King Mohammed VI at national events and also represents Morocco at international diplomatic events such as funerals.

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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Prince Jean D’Orleans, Duke of Vendôme attend the funeral of Prince Henri Of Orleans, Count Of Paris at the Chapelle Royale in Dreux, France, February 2, 2019

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Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. الحسن بن محمد. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince Of Morocco. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulay_Hassan,_Crown_Prince_of_Morocco> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Middle East Eye. 2020. Morocco’s Mohammed VI: Is His Son Ready For The Crown?. [online] Available at: <https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/morocco-mohammed-vi-son-succession-crown> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Morocco World News. 2018. Morocco’s Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Prepares For Aeronautics Exams. [online] Available at: <https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/04/244796/moroccos-crown-prince-moulay-el-hassan-prepares-for-aeronautics-exams/> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Morocco World News. 2020. Morocco’s Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Passes Baccalaureate Exams. [online] Available at: <https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/07/308223/moroccos-crown-prince-moulay-el-hassan-passes-baccalaureate-exams/> [Accessed 26 August 2020].

King Hassan II of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn

King Hassan II of Morocco was born on July 9, 1929, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, then in the French Protectorate of Morocco. He was the eldest child of Mohammed V, then Sultan of Morocco (1909–1961), and his second wife Lalla Abla bint Tahar (1909–1992).

Hassan had four younger siblings:

Hassan had one half-sister from his father’s marriage to Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun:

Hassan had one half-sister from his father’s third marriage to Lalla Bahia bint Antar:

Hassan was educated at the Royal Academy, a school located at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco. This school was founded in 1942 by Hassan’s father who wanted to send his son to the Ecole des Roches in France but was unable to do so because of World War II. Since then, the school has opened a class for each senior prince or princess of the royal family of Morocco with other students of a similar age also attending. After completing his studies at the Royal Academy, Hassan earned a law degree from the University of Bordeaux in France. When he was thirteen-years-old, Hassan attended the historic Casablanca Conference between his father, President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco in 1943.

Hassan, fourth from left in the back row, behind Sultan Muhammad V, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Casablanca Conference of 1943; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1953, the French colonial authorities forced Hassan’s father Sultan Mohammed V, an important national symbol in the growing Moroccan independence movement, into exile in Corsica, France along with his family. Mohammed V and his family were moved to Madagascar in January 1954. Mohammed V returned from exile in November 1955 and was again recognized as Sultan. Hassan participated in the February 1956 negotiations for Morocco’s independence with his father. In March 1956, the French protectorate was ended and Morocco gained its independence from France as the Kingdom of Morocco. Mohammed V changed the title of the Moroccan sovereign from Sultan to King the following year, and Hassan was proclaimed Crown Prince on July 19, 1957.

In 1961, Hassan married Lalla Latifa Hammou Amahzoune (born 1946,) a member of the Zayane tribe. Also in 1961, Hassan married, Lalla Fatima bint Qaid Ould Hassan Amhourak, a cousin of Latifa Hammou, but they had no children.  After the death of Hassan II, Lalla Latifa married Mohamed Mediouri, Hassan’s bodyguard and former security chief of the Royal Palace.

Hassan and Lalla Latifa had five children:

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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh pose with King Hassan ll and his family onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia on October 30, 1980, in Casablanca, Morocco

Upon the death of King Mohammed V on March 3, 1961, his son became Hassan II, King of Morocco. Morocco held its first general elections in 1963. However, Hassan declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971, there was a failed assassination and coup attempt against Hassan. The brother of Hassan’s wife Lalla Latifa, General Medbouh Hammou Amahzoune, was executed along with nine other high-ranking military officers for having participated in the failed coup attempt. In 1972, Hassan survived another assassination attempt.

From the 1960s to the late 1980s, Morocco’s human rights record was extremely poor. In Morocco, those years are known as the Years of Lead.  Thousands of dissidents were jailed, exiled, or disappeared. During this time, Morocco was one of the most repressive and undemocratic countries in the world. Due to pressure from other countries and human rights groups and the threat of international isolation, Hassan began to gradually democratize Morocco. Political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a two-house legislature in 1997 and Morocco’s first opposition-led government came to power in 1998.

For the remainder of Hassan’s reign, Morocco’s human rights record improved modestly. It improved significantly following the death of Hassan II in 1999 when he was succeeded by his son as King Mohammed VI who reigned as a cautious modernizer and introduced economic and social liberalization measures. The Equity and Reconciliation Commission was set up in 2004 to investigate human rights abuses during Hassan’s reign. The commission confirmed nearly 10,000 cases of human rights abuses and concluded that 742 disappeared individuals had died.

Despite the human rights abuses in Morocco, Hassan fostered some of the earliest contacts between Israel and its Arab enemies, including meetings that were key to the normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt that led to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem in 1977 and the Camp David Accords of 1978.

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World leaders follow the funeral procession of King Hassan II of Morocco, July 25, 1999

On July 23, 1999, King Hassan II of Morocco died, aged 70, from pneumonia in Rabat, Morocco. Over forty heads of state and other dignitaries attended his funeral including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, American President Bill Clinton, former American President George H.W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Prince Charles representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The funeral became a diplomatic opportunity with many of the leaders holding informal meetings before and after the funeral.

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The funeral procession passing through Rabat

About 2 million Moroccans gathered along the three-mile route of the funeral procession as King Hassan’s casket draped with a black covering embroidered with verses from the Koran and borne by a military gun carriage made its way to the burial site followed by the large turnout of world leaders walking behind the casket.

Mausoleum of King Mohammed V, burial place of King Hassan II; Credit -By Jorge Lascar -CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14521710

King Hassan II was buried near the tomb of his father King Mohammed V in a massive mausoleum known as the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco. Hassan’s coffin was carried into the mausoleum by his son King Mohammed VI, his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, and his cousin Prince Moulay Hicham. Only a small group of male family members, courtiers, and Muslim foreigners, including Yasser Arafat, attended the burial but it was broadcast on Moroccan television.

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King Mohammed VI and his brother Prince Moulay Rachid pray at the tomb of their father 40 days after the funeral

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

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