Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud
Who was Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud?
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since 2017 and architect of the Vision 2030 economic diversification program.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, born on 31 August 1985 in Riyadh, is the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and is considered the real leader of the kingdom. He is the seventh son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the first child of the king's third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain. As the grandson of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, Mohammed holds an important position in both history and politics. He studied law at King Saud University before starting his public service career as an advisor to his father in 2009.
When King Salman became king in January 2015, Mohammed was named Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, quickly becoming one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. By June 2017, he became Crown Prince, replacing his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef. In October 2022, he took on the role of Prime Minister, strengthening his control over the royal court and the Saudi government. His rapid rise in Saudi royal politics shows both his father's trust in him and his own political skills.
Mohammed has pushed for significant changes within the country, mainly through Saudi Vision 2030, a plan to lessen Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil by boosting sectors like technology, tourism, entertainment, and sports. Under his leadership, the powers of the religious police were reduced, the ban on women driving was lifted in 2018, and parts of the male guardianship system were relaxed in 2019. These changes marked a major shift in Saudi society, though human rights groups noted that his government also jailed women's rights activists and dissenters on terrorism charges.
In foreign affairs, Mohammed has played a major role in changing Saudi Arabia's approach in the region and on the world stage. He led the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen starting in 2015, which has faced ongoing international criticism for its humanitarian impact. He was heavily involved in the 2017 diplomatic conflict with Qatar, resulting in a lengthy blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies. His government was also involved in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an incident that caused a global uproar and widespread condemnation. U.S. intelligence found that Mohammed had approved the operation, a claim his government denied.
Despite these issues, Mohammed has remained active in international diplomacy and business. Saudi Arabia has strengthened its relationship with China, worked with Russia on oil production through the OPEC+ group, and achieved the status of a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Mohammed has received several international awards, including the Order of the Republic in 2018, the Nishan-e-Pakistan in 2019, the Civil Order of Oman in 2021, the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali in 2022, and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class, in 2023. He was also named to Time magazine's Time 100 list in 2018. He is married to Sara bint Mashhur bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Before Fame
Mohammed bin Salman grew up in the Saudi royal family during a time of significant geopolitical tension in the Middle East, including the Gulf War in 1991 and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. These events shaped the region's politics as he was growing up. As one of many princes in the Al Saud family, his rise to power wasn't assured, and he spent much of his early life away from the direct spotlight of succession politics.
After earning a law degree from King Saud University in Riyadh, Mohammed started working in 2009 as an advisor to his father, who was then the governor of Riyadh Province. This role gave him hands-on experience in governance and administration at a regional level. When his father became king in 2015, Mohammed's closeness to power quickly turned into direct control over the kingdom's defense and economic planning, paving the way for his swift consolidation of authority.
Key Achievements
- Launched Saudi Vision 2030, an economic diversification program aimed at reducing the kingdom's dependence on oil revenues
- Appointed Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, consolidating unprecedented executive authority within the royal family
- Oversaw the lifting of the ban on women driving in 2018 and the partial dismantling of the male guardianship system in 2019
- Led the expansion of Saudi Arabia's international alliances, including achieving major non-NATO ally status with the United States and deepening ties with China and Russia
- Directed a large-scale anti-corruption initiative in 2017 that targeted senior Saudi officials and resulted in significant financial settlements with the government
Did You Know?
- 01.Mohammed bin Salman is one of the youngest defense ministers in the world to have overseen an active military campaign, having been appointed to the role at age 29 in 2015.
- 02.His megaproject Neom, a planned futuristic city in northwestern Saudi Arabia, was announced in 2017 with an estimated cost of over 500 billion dollars, though it has faced significant construction delays and scale reductions.
- 03.In 2018, Time magazine included Mohammed bin Salman in its annual Time 100 list, the same year his government became embroiled in the international fallout from the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
- 04.Mohammed authorized the lifting of Saudi Arabia's decades-long ban on public cinemas in 2018, with the first commercial cinema opening in Riyadh in April of that year.
- 05.He conducted a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in November 2017 that resulted in the detention of hundreds of Saudi princes, ministers, and businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, with reports suggesting billions of dollars were recovered in settlements.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Order of the Republic | 2018 | — |
| Nishan-e-Pakistan | 2019 | — |
| Civil Order of Oman | 2021 | — |
| Order of al-Hussein bin Ali | 2022 | — |
| Time 100 | 2018 | — |
| Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class | 2023 | — |