Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Prince Muqrin is the 35th and youngest surviving son of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
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<p style="text-align: justify;" As a youth he was an air force officer, trained in both Britain and later the United States. In 1980 he was appointed governor of Hail province, an agricultural region in the north, and then became governor of Medina province; a sure sign that he is acceptable to the religious leadership, with Medina being a holy city in which the Prophet Muhammad found refuge.
His mother, Baraka al Yamaniyah of Yemen, was the eighteenth spouse of King Abdulaziz. However, as a child he was cared for by his father and educated at the Riyadh Model Institute. After graduation, the young Prince joined the Saudi Royal Air Force in 1964. He went on to study in Britain, graduating in 1968 at the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
The Military Commander
In 1969 Prince Muqrin began advanced training courses on fighter jets at Dhahran Air Force base; serving as Commander of the 2nd Air Squadron between 1970 and 1973. In 1974, Prince Muqrin joined the General Staff course in the US where he earned a diploma (equivalent to a Masters). In 1977, he was appointed assistant to director of air operations and head of plans and operations division in the Saudi Royal Air Force.
The affable former fighter pilot and long member of the ruling family’s top circle of strategic decision makers and intelligence chief from 2005-12, appears on paper to have the qualifications required to rule the Kingdom.
Political Leader
In 1980, King Khalid bin Abdulaziz appointed Prince Muqrin Emir of Ha’il province at the age of 35. He remained in this position for 20 years, until King Fahd bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree appointing him as Emir of Medina in 1999, succeeding his brother Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz.
In late 2005, a royal decree was issued appointing Prince Muqrin as head of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence service. In this position, Prince Muqrin organized the first Information Technology and National Security conference in mid-2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of this vital institution. Prince Muqrin announced that this conference aimed to break the barriers between the intelligence service and society, in addition to carrying out its usual practices to serve national security, protect the people, and safeguard them at home and abroad.
Prince Muqrin remained in this position until Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, appointed him as a special royal adviser and envoy at the rank of minister on 19 July 2012. King Abdullah issued a royal decree on Friday appointing Prince Muqrin as Second Deputy Premier. He is the fifth Saudi official to hold this position, which was previously held by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, and Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz.
Personal Life
Prince Muqrin is married to Abta bint Hamoud Al Rashid. The former president of the Women’s Council when Prince Muqrin was Madinah governor. Prince Muqrin has fourteen children including Fahd, Abdul Aziz, Faysal, Turki, Mansur, and Bandur. Prince Turki founded a real-estate company in Turkey and mirrors his fathers passion for aviation being both a pilot and CEO of Rabigh Wings Aviation Academy in Jeddah. Prince Turki is also board member of the Saudi Aviation Club.
Prince Muqrin is known to have a passion for astronomy and astronomical observation, as well as reading, culture and agricultural research. When he was Emir of Ha’il, Prince Muqrin transformed the province into one of the most agriculturally vital and active regions of Saudi Arabia. He is also interested in modern technology, including e-government and its applications, as well as classic Arabic poetry.
The Succession That Never Was
Muqrin’s brief tenure as Crown Prince lasted barely three months in 2015 before King Salman replaced him with Muhammad bin Nayef, who was in turn replaced by Mohammed bin Salman. This double succession shift broke the traditional brother-to-brother pattern that had governed the House of Saud since 1953.
Unlike Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Muqrin has not been publicly associated with any opposition to MBS’s consolidation.