Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud Dies of Illness - Polidicks

[I]via:[/I] BBC [release][B]Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud has died, Saudi TV says[/B] The crown prince was King Abdullah's half-brother and first in line to the Saudi throne. He was also minister of defence and aviation. He was in his eighties and was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004. He is thought to have died at a New York hospital. Prince Sultan had been on a visit to the US for medical tests, and he had an operation in New York in July. The royal court confirmed the death in a statement carried by SPA, the state news agency: "With deep sorrow and sadness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan... who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness." [B]'Moderniser'[/B] Crown Prince Sultan was a member of the most powerful family group in Saudi Arabia, the Sudairi Seven, and one of the sons of the country's founder, King Abdulaziz, known as Ibn Saud. The Sudairi Seven are the sons of Ibn Saud's most influential wife, Hassa bint Ahmad al-Sudairi. The oldest of the seven was King Fahd, who died in 2005 - to be succeeded by a half-brother, the current King Abdullah. Prince Sultan's first appointment was as governor of Riyadh and he became minister of defence and aviation in 1963. He oversaw extraordinary expenditure on modernising the armed forces - with multi-billion dollar deals making Saudi Arabia one of the world's biggest arms spenders. Prince Sultan was also involved in the setting up and development of the national airline, Saudia. He was one of the strongest supporters of forging close ties with the US, which faced its biggest challenge after 9/11. His son, Prince Bandar, was instrumental in this as the kingdom's Washington ambassador for more than 20 years. But BBC Middle East analyst Sebastian Usher says that, with the current generation of Saudi leaders now in their seventies or eighties, there is no clear idea yet of who will take over among Ibn Saud's legion of grandsons when they have died out. [B]Next In Line[/B] Prince Sultan's most likely successor as the next in line to the Saudi throne is Prince Nayef, 78, also a full brother of King Abdullah and one of the Sudairi Seven. He has been the interior minister, in charge of the security forces, since 1975. In contrast to King Abdullah, who is seen as a cautious reformer, Prince Nayef is believed to be closer to conservative Wahhabi clerics. Earlier this year, as part of a package of reforms to see off unrest spreading from other Arab countries, the king announced an extra 60,000 posts to be created within the security forces. In 2009, after Prince Sultan fell ill, King Abdullah named Nayef as his second deputy prime minister, traditionally the post of the second in line to the throne. However, the king has also established a succession council, made up of his brothers and nephews. It is expected to meet for the first time to determine who will be named as the next in line to the Saudi throne.[/release] [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15413275"]Source[/URL]

goodnight sweet prince

The house of Saud can burn in hell for all I care. Try instituting a constitutional demo- oh wait nevermind we give them so much military aid in order for them to stay pro-West that the population could never rebel.

Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud. "King Abdullah have you thought of a name for your son yet?" "Well I was thinking of this one good na-" "How about Thomas? That would be a good name for him." "Nah I was thinking of a certain name on the exotic side" "What name your highness?" "Well...."

[QUOTE=EzioAuditore;32902558]Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud. "King Abdullah have you thought of a name for your son yet?" "Well I was thinking of this one good na-" "How about Thomas? That would be a good name for him." "Nah I was thinking of a certain name on the exotic side" "What name your highness?" "Well...."[/QUOTE] the prince was his brother, not his son

The real question is whether or not I get a day off!

[QUOTE=EzioAuditore;32902558]Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud. "King Abdullah have you thought of a name for your son yet?" "Well I was thinking of this one good na-" "How about Thomas? That would be a good name for him." "Nah I was thinking of a certain name on the exotic side" "What name your highness?" "Well...."[/QUOTE] His actual name is Sultan Al-Saud. It's just when you formally address someone (usually royalty) in the Arabic part of the world, instead of saying 'the third' or 'the fourth' you say that they are the son of ___. Bin just means 'son of' and bint means 'daughter of'. So basically his dad's name was Abdulaziz. Plus Sultan means Sovereign. Pretty badass if you ask me. I don't agree with his political standing though. RIP still. [editline]22nd October 2011[/editline] And yeah, all prince really means in Saudi Arabia is the person who is ranked just under the King. The eldest son of the King becomes the next King, who usually appoints a prince within the royal family.