Salman of Saudi Arabia
| King Salman link (King) | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Born | 31 December 1935 |
| Spouse | Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi |
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became King of Saudi Arabia in 2015, and was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022.
King Salman is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world.[1]
Salman is a son of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, making him one of the Sudairi Seven. He was the deputy governor of Riyadh and later the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was then appointed Minister of Defence. He was named Crown Prince in 2012. Salman became king in 2015 upon the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Since January 2024, he is the oldest surviving son of King Abdulaziz.
King Salman's major initiatives include the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Vision 2030, and a 2017 decree allowing Saudi women to drive. His seventh son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia due to the King's poor health and Mohammed's own political manoeuvering.[2] MBS replaced his father as Prime Minister in 2022, making him the first king since Saud in 1964 not to serve as head of government.[3]
References
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