Prince Saud Al-Faisal (born Jan. 2 1940) served as foreign minister from 1975 to 2015. By the time of his retirement, he was the world's longest-serving foreign minister. Prince Saud was born in Taif on Jan. 2 1940. He is the second son of King Faisal and Iffat Al-Thunayan. He attended the Hun School of Princeton and graduated from Princeton University in 1964 or 1965 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics.
He is full brother of Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Princess Luluwah Bint Faisal, Princess Sara Bint Faisal and Princess Haifa Bint Faisal.
He became an economic consultant for the Ministry of Petroleum. In 1966, he moved to general organization for petroleum and mineral resources (Petromin). In February 1970, he became deputy governor of Petromin for planning affairs. He was also a member of the High Coordination Committee. In 1971, he became deputy minister of petroleum. Until his appointment as state minister for foreign affairs in 1975, Prince Saud served in this post at the oil ministry.
Prince Saud was appointed foreign minister in March 1975. His term ended on April 29, 2015 when he was replaced by Adel Al-Jubeir, former Saudi ambassador to the United States.
Prince Saud spoke seven languages.
Starting in 1998, under the reign of King Fahd, Prince Saud and the then crown prince Abdullah managed the energy sector through a committee of technocrats and princes. More specifically, Prince Saud was appointed chairman of the Saudi Aramco's committee charged with the project assessment in September 1999.
On Nov. 20, 2009, King Abdullah appointed Prince Saud as chairman of the influential Supreme Economic Council. Prince Saud is also a member of the military service council.
Prince Saud is married to Jawhara Bint Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman and has three sons and three daughters. His daughter Haifa Bint Saud is married to Prince Sultan Bin Salman, the first Arab astronaut.
He was well regarded among the diplomatic community and was a warm man with a good sense of humor. He often spoke publicly and interacted a lot with reporters. Prince Saud spoke excellent English and liked to play tennis.
Prince Saud was closely involved in philanthropy. He was a founding member of the King Faisal Foundation and chairman of the board of directors for the King Faisal School and Al Faisal University in Riyadh. He was also a member of the Society for Disabled Children and the Madinah Society for Welfare and Social Services. — SG
