View source for Sultan bin Abdulaziz

{{Short description|Saudi royal and politician (1925–2011)}}
{{Distinguish|Sultana bint Abdulaziz}}
{{Family name hatnote|lang=Arabic|[[Al Saud]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty|consort=yes
| image         = Sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud-5.jpg
| alt           = Official portrait, 1970s 
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1925|1|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [[Riyadh]], [[Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd]] 
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2011|10|22|1925|1|5|df=yes}} 
| death_place   = [[New York City]], New York, U.S.
| burial_place  = [[Al Oud cemetery]], Riyadh
| spouse        = [[#Wives|See list]]
| issue         = {{Collapsible list|state=collapsed|
*[[Noura bint Sultan Al Saud|Noura bin Sultan]]
*[[Fahd bin Sultan Al Saud]]
*[[Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud]]
*[[Khalid bin Sultan Al Saud]]
*[[Turki bin Sultan Al Saud]]
*[[Salman bin Sultan Al Saud]]
*[[Badr bin Sultan Al Saud]]}}
| full name     = Sultan bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud
| house         = [[House of Saud|Al Saud]]
| father        = [[King Abdulaziz]]
| mother        = [[Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi]]
|succession     = [[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]] <br/>First Deputy Prime Minister
|reign          = 1 August 2005 &ndash; 22 October 2011
{{labeldata|Monarch|[[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah]]}}
{{labeldata|Prime&nbsp;Minister|King Abdullah}}
|predecessor    = Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
|successor      = [[Nayef bin Abdulaziz]]
|succession2    = [[Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia|Second Deputy Prime Minister]]
|reign2         = 13 June 1982 &ndash; 1 August 2005
{{labeldata|Monarch|[[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]]}}
{{labeldata|Prime&nbsp;Minister|King Fahd}}
|predecessor2    = Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
|successor2      = Nayef bin Abdulaziz 
|succession3     = [[Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia|Minister of Defense and Aviation]]
|reign3          = 22 October 1963 – 22 October 2011
{{labeldata|Deputy|[[Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]<br/>[[Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]}}
{{labeldata|Prime&nbsp;Minister|{{List collapsed|title=''See list''|1=[[Saud of Saudi Arabia]]<br/>[[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|King Faisal]]<br/>[[Khalid of Saudi Arabia]]<br/>[[Fahd of Saudi Arabia]]<br/>[[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|King Abdullah]]}}}}
|predecessor3    = [[Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud]]
|successor3      = [[Salman of Saudi Arabia]]
|succession4     = Governor of [[Riyadh Province]]
|reign4          = 22 February 1947 &ndash; 24 December 1953
{{labeldata|Appointed by|King Abdulaziz}}
|predecessor4    = [[Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]
|successor4      = Nayef bin Abdulaziz
| burial_date    = 25 October 2011}}
'''<span lang="ar" dir="rtl">Sultan</span> bin Abdulaziz Al Saud''' ({{langx|ar|سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود}}, ''Sulṭān ibn ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Suʿūd''; (5 January 1925 &ndash; 22 October 2011), called ''The generous Sultan'' ({{lang|ar|سلطان الخير}}, ''Sulṭan al Khair'') in [[Saudi Arabia]],<ref>{{cite news|title=The Dream of Gerontocracy|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Succession.-a0272258958|access-date=28 March 2013|work=The Weekly Middle East Reporter|date=29 October 2011}}</ref> was the Saudi defense minister from 1963 to 2011 and the [[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]] from 2005 until his death in October 2011.

==Early life and education==
Sultan was born in Riyadh sometime between the mid to late 1920s to early 1930s, with the year being given as 1925, 1928, 1930, and 1931.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/22/173033.html|title=وفاة ولي العهد السعودي الأمير سلطان بن عبد العزيز عن عمر يناهز 80 عاماً|work=Al Arabiya|date=22 October 2011|language=ar|trans-title=Saudi Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdulaziz dies at 80]|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref> He was the 15th son of [[Ibn Saud]]<ref>{{cite journal|author=Nabil Mouline|title=Power and generational transition in Saudi Arabia
|journal=Critique Internationale|date=April–June 2012|volume=46|pages=1–22|doi=10.3917/crii.046.0125}}</ref> and his mother was [[Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi]].<ref>{{cite book|year=2005|editor=Winberg Chai|title=Saudi Arabia: A Modern Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh4bENPP_HEC&pg=PA193|publisher=University of Indianapolis Press|location=Indianapolis, IN|isbn=978-0-88093-859-4|page=193}}</ref> He was the second of the [[Sudairi Seven]], who also included [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]], [[Nayef bin Abdulaziz|Nayef]] and [[Salman of Saudi Arabia|Salman]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Mark Shenk|title=Oil Surges to Record as King Fahd's Death Raises Supply Concern|work=Bloomberg
|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&refer=home&sid=apDJnl7svZqo|access-date=4 March 2013|date=1 August 2005}}</ref><ref name=aps29nov>{{cite news|title=The Political Leadership - King Fahd|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SAUDI+ARABIA+-+The+Political+Leadership+-+King+Fahd.-a057816188|access-date=16 March 2013|work=APS Review Gas Market Trends|date=29 November 1999}}</ref> Prince Sultan, along with many of his brothers, received his early education in religion, modern culture, and diplomacy at the royal court.<ref name=aps29nov/>

==Early experience==
His career in public service began in 1940 when he was made a deputy to [[Riyadh]] governor or emir, [[Nasser bin Abdulaziz|Prince Nasser]].<ref name=aps29nov/> In 1947, Prince Sultan replaced Prince Nasser as governor of Riyadh.<ref name=cbcap/><ref name=bbc185pro/><ref>{{cite book
|author=George Kheirallah|title=Arabia Reborn|date=1952|publisher=[[University of New Mexico Press]]|location=Albuquerque, NM|page=254
|isbn=9781258502010}}</ref> Prince Sultan also assisted King Abdulaziz's attempts to establish a national administrative system based on the Islamic Sharia law during this period.<ref name=cbcap/> In 1947, Prince Sultan oversaw [[Aramco|ARAMCO's]] construction of the Kingdom's rail link between [[Dammam]] and Riyadh. It was upon his advice [[Ibn Saud|King Abdulaziz ibn Saud]] ordered the dismantling of Riyadh's [[Riyadh city fortifications|city walls]] in the early 1950s that eventually resulted in the expansion and urbanization of the town into a modern metropolis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=أوراق من تاريخ مدينة الرياض (4) |url=https://www.al-jazirah.com/2001/20010213/ar1.htm |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=www.al-jazirah.com}}</ref> He was appointed as the kingdom's first minister of agriculture in 1953<ref name=cbcap/> and minister of transport in 1955.<ref>{{cite news|title=Crown Prince Sultan's Death Starts Plan for Saudi Succession|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-01/crown-prince-sultan-s-death-starts-plan-for-saudi-succession.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2011|access-date=13 April 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103122231/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-01/crown-prince-sultan-s-death-starts-plan-for-saudi-succession.html|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=1 November 2011|author1=Glen Carey|author2=Vivian Salama}}</ref>

Following the assassination of [[Lebanese prime minister]], [[Riad Al Solh]], in 1951 King Abdulaziz sent Prince Sultan to [[Beirut]] to offer condolences to late prime minister's family.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=<!--Not stated-->|title=Trinkets from Talal<!--Title is incorrect in many databases.-->|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=20 September 1954|volume=64|issue=12|page=42|issn=0040-781X|id={{EBSCOhost|54177907|db=f6h}}|url=https://time.com/archive/6884932/saudi-arabia-trinkets-from-tola/}}</ref>

Although the direct military experience of Prince Sultan was brief, heading the Royal Guard in Riyadh in the early 1950s, he felt a lifelong connection to the military and the cause of Saudi independence from an early age.<ref name=tele/> Major General [[Carl von Horn (1903–1989)|Carl von Horn]], Swedish commander of the UN observer mission during the [[North Yemen Civil War|Yemeni civil war]], described the Prince Sultan as "a volatile and emotional young man" in the early days.<ref name=tele/>

==Minister of defense and aviation==
In 1963, [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|Crown Prince Faisal]] appointed Prince Sultan as minister of defense and aviation.<ref name=bbc185pro/> He presided over the development of the [[Military of Saudi Arabia|Saudi armed forces]]. During the reign of King Faisal, Prince Sultan was particularly interested in Yemen.<ref name="HaleySnider1979">{{cite book|editor1=P. Edward Haley|editor2=Lewis W. Snider|author=Halim Barakat
|title=Lebanon in Crisis: Participants and Issues|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lebanonincrisis001945|year=1979|location=Syracuse, NY
|publisher=[[Syracuse University Press]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/lebanonincrisis001945/page/9 9]|chapter=The Social Context|isbn=978-0-8156-2210-9}}</ref>

At the beginning of King Faisal's reign in 1964 Prince Sultan became a member of the council which had been established by the king to guide the succession issues.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Rundell|title=Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0pLyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT63|year=2020|page=63|isbn=978-1-83860-594-0|location=London}}</ref> In the late 1966 Prince Sultan survived an assassination attempt by the revolutionary [[Yemeni people|Yemenites]] who were assisted by [[Egyptian intelligence]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Joseph Mann|title=King Faisal and the Challenge of Nasser's Revolutionary Ideology|journal=[[Middle Eastern Studies (journal)|Middle Eastern Studies]]|year=2012|volume=48|issue=5|page=753|jstor=41721173|doi=10.1080/00263206.2012.706220|s2cid=144629072}}</ref> His influence declined under the reign of [[King Khalid]]<ref name=HaleySnider1979/> due to the fact that in 1977 Prince Sultan unsuccessfully tried to prevent Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz from becoming heir apparent when the king died.<ref>{{cite web|title=Succession in Saudi Arabia. Chronology|url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bbm%3A978-0-312-29962-0%2F1.pdf|publisher=Springer|access-date=9 March 2021|page=164}}</ref>

Sultan purchased U.S. tanks, fighter planes, missiles, and [[Boeing E-3 Sentry|AWACS]] (airborne warning and control systems). However, as a result of problems assimilating technology within its armed forces, a relatively high proportion of the military equipment is stored or under maintenance, despite a large portion of Saudi's $34&nbsp;billion defense budget being spent on maintaining military equipment. Sultan allegedly became extraordinarily wealthy from kickbacks by Western businesses that handled multibillion-dollar defense contracts.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/22/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-12-22-02-primer-who-s-who-in-the-house-of-saud.html?pagewanted=2|title=The way we live now|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 December 2002|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref> He was involved in many scandals, including [[Al-Yamamah arms deal|the Al Yamamah deal]].<ref name="saudipolitics">{{cite news|date=21 November 2010|work=Yahoo! News
|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101121/wl_mideast_afp/saudipoliticsroyalshealth;_ylt=Ak7X8By.biX9Wemgf9e76MgLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwNTk5N3VsBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDEwMTEyMS9zYXVkaXBvbGl0aWNzcm95YWxzaGVhbHRoBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NhdWRpa2luZ3RvdQ--|title=Saudi king to US for treatment of back ailment|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref> However, his influence remained unhindered until his health began to deteriorate.<ref name="saudipolitics"/> During his tenure, Saudi Arabia became the largest importer of U.S. arms, and he was a strong proponent of the U.S.-Saudi partnership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0812/p09s02-coop.html|title=Backlash in Saudi Arabia
|author=Nawaf Obaid|author-link=Nawaf Obaid|date=12 August 2002|work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref>

As well, Sultan authorized a deal with the [[British Aircraft Corporation]] (BAC) in 1965. His program, called Operation Magic Carpet, traded [[£]]16 million for six second-hand [[English Electric Lightning|Lightnings]], six [[Hawker Hunter]]s, and a set of missile launchers going to [[Royal Saudi Air Force]]. Geoffrey Edwards served as the official intermediary. British pilots also came over, privately contracted.<ref name=tele/> Prince Sultan was an expert on the Yemen civil war and Soviet involvement in the [[Horn of Africa]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2006/10/27/PJ5_39BriefforThatcherSept85.pdf|title=Briefing for the Prime Minister's meeting with Prince Sultan|date=25 September 1985|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=16 May 2011|url-status=live|location=London
|access-date=9 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516023008/http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2006/10/27/PJ5_39BriefforThatcherSept85.pdf}}</ref>

In 1996, Prince Sultan opposed Pentagon plans to relocate U.S. troops to safer locations after the [[Dhahran]] complex bombings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2yBIAAAAIBAJ&pg=6015,6300009&dq=prince+sultan+minister+of+defense&hl=en|title=Saudi Arabia – Defense Minister opposes U.S. plans to move soldiers|work=The Vindicator|date=15 July 1996|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref> He visited [[Iran]] in May 1999 - his visit was the first official visit of a Saudi minister since 1979.<ref>{{cite book|author=Anthony H. Cordesman
|title=Saudi Arabia Enters the Twenty-First Century: The Political, Foreign Policy, Economic, and Energy Dimensions|isbn=978-0-275-97998-0
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCVicuT7kCMC&pg=PR5|year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=5}}</ref>

[[File:Prince Sultan Meeting With Saudi Soldiers.png|thumb|right|Prince Sultan meeting with Saudi soldiers in the 1960s.]]

==Second deputy prime minister==
On 13 June 1982, after the death of King Khalid and Crown Prince Fahd became the King, Prince Sultan was appointed second deputy prime minister.<ref name=bbc185pro/><ref>{{cite news|title=Crown Prince Fahd takes control of largest oil-exporting nation|access-date=28 July 2012
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19820614&id=E4osAAAAIBAJ&pg=6176,3067260|newspaper=Herald Journal|date=14 June 1982}}</ref> Opposition to his appointment as second deputy prime minister came in particular from his elder half-brothers [[Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Musaid]] and [[Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Bandar]]. The objection of Prince Musaid was easily ignored since his son, [[Faisal bin Musaid]], had assassinated King Faisal. However, the interests of Bandar bin Abdulaziz were much harder to ignore. Thus, he was compensated and the dispute was resolved.<ref name=simonhen>{{cite journal|author=Simon Henderson|date=August 2009|title=After King Abdullah. Succession in Saudi Arabia|journal=Policy Focus|volume=96|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyFocus96_Henderson.pdf|access-date=20 October 2017|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215194828/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyFocus96_Henderson.pdf}}</ref>

Prince Sultan, in December 1995, attempted to seize power through the support of the Ulema when Crown Prince Abdullah was in Oman for a summit of [[Gulf Cooperation Council|the Gulf Cooperation Council]].<ref name=pm97>{{cite journal|author=Paul Michael Wihbey|title=Succession in Saudi Arabia: The not so Silent Struggle|journal=IASPS Research Papers in Strategy|date=July 1997|issue=4|url=http://www.iasps.org/strategic4/SA.htm
|archive-date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523155715/http://www.iasps.org/strategic4/SA.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, his attempted coup failed.<ref name=pm97/>

Prince Sultan was one of the members of the Al Saud Family Council established by Crown Prince Abdullah in June 2000 to discuss private issues such as business activities of princes and marriages of princess to individuals who were not members of the House of Saud.<ref name=simonhen/>

==Crown prince==
[[File:Aankomsten, ministers, premiers, sultans, Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Saud, Bestanddeelnr 934-4704.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]] [[Ruud Lubbers]] at [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Airport Schiphol]] on 15 June 1989.]]
On 1 August 2005, Sultan bin Abdulaziz was designated [[heir apparent]] despite having a discord with King Abdullah.<ref>Jon Leyne. (1 August 2005). [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4735505.stm Tensions remain among Saudi royals], ''BBC News'', Retrieved 7 December 2008.</ref> During the same period he led the group called Sudairi Seven, being the eldest of the group after King Fahd's demise.<ref>{{cite news|author=William Safire|title=The Split in the Saudi Royal Family|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/12/opinion/the-split-in-the-saudi-royal-family.html|access-date=13 April 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=12 September 2002}}</ref>

==Various positions==
During the 1970s Prince Sultan was one of the members of the inner family council which was led by King Khalid and included Sultan's brothers [[Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Mohammed]], Crown Prince Fahd, Prince Abdullah, and [[Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Abdul Muhsin]] and his uncles Prince Ahmed and [[Musaid bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud|Prince Musaid]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Gulshan Dhahani
|title=Political Institutions in Saudi Arabia|journal=International Studies|date=1980|volume=19|issue=1|pages=59–69|s2cid=153974203
|doi=10.1177/002088178001900104}}</ref>

Prince Sultan was Saudi Arabia's [[inspector general]]. He was chairman of the board of Saudi Arabia's national airline, [[Saudi Arabian Airlines]]. As chairman, he approved a ban on smoking inside all Saudi airports.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kingdom bans smoking at airports
|url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article164086.ece|author=Fatima Sidiya|newspaper=[[Arab News]]|date=19 October 2010|access-date=9 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020020310/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article164086.ece|archive-date=20 October 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 1986, he founded the Saudi National Commission for Wildlife Conservation.<ref>{{cite news|author=Gerald Butt
|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3766919.stm|title=Profile: Saudi Prince Sultan|date=3 June 2004|work=[[BBC]]|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref> He was chairman of the Higher Council for Islamic Affairs, which financially supports Muslim communities around the world.<ref name=bbc185pro>{{cite news|title=Profile: Saudi Prince Sultan|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4734609.stm|access-date=1 February 2013|work=BBC|date=1 August 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Who's who: Senior Saudis|work=BBC|date=30 October 2007|access-date=27 April 2012
|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7068977.stm}}</ref>

===Scientific prizes sponsored by Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz===
* Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz prize for water. He was the founder and patron of the [[Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water]], a bi-annual international scientific award for water research created in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psipw.org/about.html
|title=About the Prize|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227175537/http://www.psipw.org/about.html|publisher=PSIPW|access-date=31 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=HRH Prince Sultan: Environmentalist and Art Patron|journal=Oasis Magazine|date=Winter 2009–2010|url=http://www.oasis-mag.com/the-magazine/issues/winter-20092010/hrh-prince-sultan-environmentalist-and-art-patron|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519002652/http://www.oasis-mag.com/the-magazine/issues/winter-20092010/hrh-prince-sultan-environmentalist-and-art-patron}}</ref> 
* Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Chair for environmental engineering, department of civil engineering, [[King Fahd University]] for Petroleum and Minerals. It is the first chair in the university.
* The scientific agreement between Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz and [[Oxford University]] for academic and cultural co-operation, which enables Saudi students for bachelor's, master and PhD degrees in the field of human sciences.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al Saud|url=http://www.ittaleem.com/showthread.php?t=224254|work=iTTaleem|access-date=31 March 2012}}</ref>

==Charity works==
Prince Sultan was known as "Sultan the Good" ({{langx|ar|سلطان الخير‎|Sulṭan al-Khair}}) in Saudi Arabia for his generosity. He played a role in many charitable works, including providing for the poor and people with special needs. He set up and funded the [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation]] on 21 January 1995, with the aim of providing humanitarian services and medical services to people unable to afford the expenses. With the exception of his private residence and important necessities, he donated his possessions to the foundation.<ref>{{cite web|title=سلطان بن عبد العزيز .. أمير العطاء|url=https://almoslim.net/node/154766|publisher=Al Moslim|access-date=28 March 2021|language=ar}}</ref>

The foundation includes the following centers in different countries:

*Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City<ref>{{cite web|title=Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City|url=http://www.humanitariancity.org.sa/
|access-date=31 March 2012|archive-date=20 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320234351/http://humanitariancity.org.sa/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurosynapses.eu/index.php/saudi-arabia/item/4-sultan-bin-abdulaziz-humanitarian-city|title=Sultan bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City (SBAHC)|work=Euro Synapses|access-date=29 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928080820/http://www.eurosynapses.eu/index.php/saudi-arabia/item/4-sultan-bin-abdulaziz-humanitarian-city|archive-date=28 September 2012}}</ref>
**Sultan bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center
**Charity housing projects
**Sultan bin Abdulaziz Special Education Program at the [[Arabian Gulf University]] in Bahrain
**Prince Sultan Center for Speech and Hearing in [[Bahrain]]
**King Abdulaziz Center for Islamic Studies at [[Bologna University]]
**Sultan bin Abdulaziz Arab and Islamic Studies Program at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]
*Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Private: Committee for Relief.

This private committee organizes relief and medical convoys and sets up camps to combat diseases like Malaria and blindness. It has carried out several developmental, social and medical projects, like, digging wells, building schools, public libraries, mosques, hospitals, establishing dialysis centers. It also sponsors Muslim preachers in Ethiopia, Chad, Niger, Malawi, Mali, Comoro Islands, Djibouti and Indonesia.

He inaugurated and served as the patron of [[Prince Sultan University]] in Riyadh. It was named in his honor by the university's parent institution, Al-Riyadh Philanthropic Society, which was founded by the prince's brother, [[Salman of Saudi Arabia]], who would later become king. This is the first private/non-profit university established in the kingdom. In 2007, Prince Sultan was awarded the Medal of Human Honor for his charitable works.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Founder (May God have mercy upon him)|url=https://sbaf.org.sa/en/the-founder/|publisher=Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517200633/https://sbaf.org.sa/en/the-founder/|url-status=dead|access-date=31 March 2021|archive-date=17 May 2021}}</ref>

In April 2005, Sultan donated £2 million to the [[Ashmolean Museum]]. A year after his donations to establish an art museum, Oxford University agreed to 'expedite' the scholarship application process for Saudi students, and identify colleges for ten Saudi students from Prince Sultan University. When this arrangement became public, it led to criticism due to the donations bypassing Oxford's governing council, and breaching the admissions process for prospective students.<ref name="simcox">{{cite web|author=Robin Simcox|author-link=Robin Simcox|date=1 March 2009|title=A Degree of Influence|url=https://henryjacksonsociety.org/publications/a-degree-of-influence-the-funding-of-strategically-important-subjects-in-uk-universities/|access-date=10 October 2020|work=Henry Jackson Society}}</ref>

A press release issued by Oxford University on 20 April 2005 said that:
<blockquote> HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has given the Ashmolean Museum a substantial donation to provide a fitting home for the Museum's internationally renowned collection of Islamic art. The total value of the gift is £2 million, which will also provide for ten scholarships at the University of Oxford for Saudi Arabian students.</blockquote>

The press release added further that ‘the new gallery, part of the ambitious redevelopment of one of the world’s oldest museums, will be named the “Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud Gallery”’. ''[[Arab News]]'' on 21 April 2005 reported that Sultan’s donation was a ‘move to promote understanding between Islam and the West’, adding that ‘Saudi and British officials’ had said that the new gallery ‘will help to portray Islamic culture and civilization in right perspectives.’<ref name=simcox/>

==Controversy==
In 2002, families of the victims of the [[September 11 attacks]] in the United States sued Prince Sultan and other senior Saudi officials for their alleged contributions to [[al-Qaeda]] linked charities.<ref name=lwire1aug>{{cite news|title=Veteran Saudi defence minister becomes heir to throne|url=http://www.lebanonwire.com/0805/05080121AFP.asp|access-date=12 April 2013|work=Lebanonwire|date=1 August 2005|agency=AFP
|location=Riyadh|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323013420/http://lebanonwire.com/0805/05080121AFP.asp|archive-date=23 March 2013}}</ref> The lawsuits were thrown out by a US federal judge due to insufficient evidence submitted.<ref name=lwire1aug/>

==Personal life==
[[File:Prince Sultan meeting Foreign Diplomats.jpg|thumb|A young Prince Sultan meets foreign diplomats in the 1950s]]
Prince Sultan mostly married women who had a tribal background.<ref>{{cite thesis|author=Rayed Khalid Krymli|title=The political economy of rentier states: A case study of Saudi Arabia in the oil era, 1950-1990|page=125|degree=PhD|location=[[George Washington University]]|year=1993
|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/304080655|id={{ProQuest|304080655}}}}</ref> He had thirty-two children by his multiple wives. His son [[Khalid bin Sultan]], after Prince Sultan's death, was appointed deputy minister of defense and served in the post until 20 April 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saudiembassy.net/his-royal-highness-prince-bandar-bin-sultan|title=His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Sultan &#124; The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|website=www.saudiembassy.net|accessdate=12 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan replaced|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-deputy-defence-minister-prince-khalid-bin-sultan-replaced-1.1172889|access-date=20 April 2013|newspaper=[[Gulf News]]|date=20 April 2013|agency=[[Reuters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424035253/http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-deputy-defence-minister-prince-khalid-bin-sultan-replaced-1.1172889|archive-date=24 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bandar bin Sultan]] was the former ambassador to the United States, the former secretary general of [[National Security Council (Saudi Arabia)|the national security council]] and the former head of [[Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah|the general intelligence directorate]]. [[Fahd bin Sultan]] is the governor of [[Tabuk Province|the Tabuk province]]. [[Salman bin Sultan]], another son, is the former deputy defense minister.<ref>{{cite news|title=Son of former Saudi crown prince named deputy defence minister|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-saudi-defence-idUKBRE97513S20130806|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730014744/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-saudi-defence-idUKBRE97513S20130806|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 July 2017|access-date=7 August 2013|work=Reuters|date=6 August 2013}}</ref> Faisal bin Sultan (born 1951) is the secretary general of [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud Foundation sponsors Arab Creativity Award Ceremony|work=AMEINFO|access-date=31 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 July 2013|url=http://www.ameinfo.com/174676.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729023819/http://www.ameinfo.com/174676.html}}</ref><ref name=ssabri>{{cite book|author=Sabri Sharif|title=The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia|year=2001
|publisher=I. S. Publication|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-901254-0-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51Bb8Ix7xw8C&pg=PA151}}</ref>

His other sons are [[Turki bin Sultan|Turki]] (1959–2012), Nayef (born 1979), [[Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Badr]] (born 1980), Saud, Ahmad (born 1983), Nawwaf, Abdullah, Mishaal (born 1988), Mansour, Fawwaz, Abdulmajid and Abdul Ilah.<ref name=ssabri/>

* Prince [[Khalid bin Sultan]].
* Prince [[Bandar bin Sultan]].
* Prince [[Fahd bin Sultan]]. 
* Prince [[Turki bin Sultan|Turki bin sultan]] (1959–2012).
* Prince Faisal bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Mudhawi bint Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Saud. He has two sons and two daughters named, Prince Mohammed (married to the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Prince Khalid, Princess Nouf and princess Sarah.
* Prince [[Salman bin Sultan]].
* Prince Nayef bin Sultan (born 1979). He is married to Princess Jawaher bint Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has daughters: Princess Nouf, Princess Alia, and Princess Lulwa.
* Prince [[Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Badr bin sultan]] (born 1980). 
* Prince Saud bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Mishaal bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has three children: Princess Lulwa, Prince Faisal, and Prince Nayef.
* Prince Nawaf bin Sultan. Married to Princess Al Hanouf bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has children: Prince Khalid, Prince Abdullah, Princess Al Anoud, Princess Sarah, and Princess Fahda.
* Prince Ahmed bin Sultan (nicknamed Sahm) is born in 1983. He is married to Princess Hassa bint Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, granddaughter of king Abdullah.
* Prince Mansour bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Maha bint Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has a daughter, Princess Lulwa.
* Prince Abdullah bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Reem bint Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Malik Al Sheikh and has three children: Prince Sultan, Princess Basma, and Princess Noura.
* Prince Mishaal bin Sultan (born 1988). He is married to Princess Noura bint Fahd bin Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has three children: Princess Moudi, Prince Sultan, and Princess Nouf.
* Prince Fawwaz bin Sultan. Married to Princess Abeer bint Khalid bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud - granddaughter of Princess Lulwa bint Abdulaziz Al Saud - and has Princess Reema, Prince Abdulaziz, and Princess Lulwa.
* Prince Abdul-Ilah bin Sultan. He is married to Princess Noura bint Fahd bin Badr bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has two children: Prince Sultan and Princess Arej.
* Prince Abdul Majeed bin Sultan

Prince Sultan had fifteen daughters, the oldest of whom is Nouf bint Sultan.<ref>{{cite news|author=Abdullah Al Oreifij|title=He is a father to every Saudi|url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009121256802|access-date=29 December 2012|newspaper=Saudi Gazette|archive-date=29 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729014536/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009121256802|date=12 December 2009|location=Riyadh|url-status=dead}}</ref> One of his daughters, Reema, is the spouse of [[Muhammad bin Nayef]], former Crown Prince.<ref>{{cite news|title=Time, surely, for a much younger one|access-date=26 April 2012
|url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2011/10/29/time-surely-for-a-much-younger-one|newspaper=The Economist|date=29 October 2011}}</ref> His other daughter, [[Noura bint Sultan Al Saud|Noura bint Sultan]], married [[Turki bin Nasser]]. Another daughter, Munira bint Sultan, who was [[Faisal Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz|Faisal bin Fahd]]'s spouse, died in June 2011 at age 59.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rulers offer condolences to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz|access-date=6 May 2012|work=[[Emirates News Agency]]|date=11 June 2011|url-status=dead|url=http://www.wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1289993935448&pagename=WAM%2FWamLocEnews%2FWAM_E_ArticleMailClient&parent=Collection&parentid=1135099399983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519004433/http://www.wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1289993935448&pagename=WAM%2FWamLocEnews%2FWAM_E_ArticleMailClient&parent=Collection&parentid=1135099399983|archive-date=19 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Prince Sattam performs funerary prayers over the deceased|url=http://www.ainalyaqeen.com/arch_2011/June-17/en5.php|access-date=12 February 2013|work=[[Ain al-Yaqeen]]|date=17 June 2011}}</ref>

* Princess Nouf bint Sultan
* Princess Jawaher bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ).
* Princess Bandari bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Saad I bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud and has children: Prince Turki, Princess Ghada and Prince Nayef).
* Princess Lulwa bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Khalid bin Saad bin Fahd bin Saad I Abdul Rahman Al Saud ).
* Princess Latifa bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Prince Turki, Prince Saud (married to Princess Adwaa bint Abdulaziz bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), Princess Al Anoud (married to Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Lulwa (married to Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdul Ilah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), Princess Mudawi, and Princess Dalil.
* Princess Munira bint Sultan (deceased at the age of fifty-nine). (Was married to Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Princess Haifa (married to Prince Saud bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud), Shahinaz (married to Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud), Nasreen (married to Prince Faisal bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), and Prince Nawaf (married to Moudi bint Ahmed bin Musaed bin Ahmed Al Sudairi).
* Princess Noura bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud). And has children; Princess Abeer (Divorced from Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Arej (Married to Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz bin Thunayan Al Saud), Princess Lamia, Princess Reema (Married to Prince Fahd bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Princess Haifa and Prince Abdullah.
* Princess Atab bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Faisal bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Saud ). And has children; Prince Mohammed (who was married to Princess Madawi bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), Prince Bandar, Prince Fahd (who was married to Princess Madawi bint Muhammad bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ), and Princess Noura.
* Princess Reema bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has children; Princess sarah (was married to Prince Saud bin Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir), and Lulwa (Married to Prince Nayef bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud).
* Princess Sarah bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Fahd bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabir ). And has children; Prince Mohammed, Nayef, and Saud.
* Princess Daad bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Sattam bin Khalid bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ).
* Princess Abir bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Bandar bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ). And has one son, Prince Nasser.
* Princess Dima bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Fahd bin Saad bin Fahd bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ).
* Princess Al Anoud bint Sultan. (Married to Prince Nawaf bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and they have two daughters: Princess Dima and Princess Nouf).
* Princess Mishaal bint Sultan. (Divorced from Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and married to Prince Abdulaziz bin Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in April 2018. They have two children: Prince Saud, born in January 2019, and Princess Sarah, born in 2021).

===Wives===
* Khiziran, a concubine from Ethiopia, was the mother of his eldest son prince Bandar. 
* Munira bint Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi (deceased), mother of Prince Fahd, Prince Turki, Prince Faisal, Princess Nouf, Princess Jawaher, Princess Bandari, Princess Lulwa, and Princess Latifa.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wife of Saudi crown prince dies in Paris hospital|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Aug-25/Wife-of-Saudi-crown-prince-dies-in-Paris-hospital.ashx#axzz1rBrO3Wvf|access-date=5 April 2012|newspaper=The Daily Star Lebanon|date=25 August 2011|archive-date=29 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829033221/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Aug-25/Wife-of-Saudi-crown-prince-dies-in-Paris-hospital.ashx#axzz1rBrO3Wvf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Huda bint Abdullah Al Sheikh, mother of Prince Nayef, Prince Badr, Prince Saud, Prince Nawaf, Prince Mansour, Princess Al-Anoud, and Prince Abdullah.
* Sita bint Juwaid Al-Damir Al-Ajami (divorced), mother of prince Salman.
* Al-Bandari bint Sunt bin Banin Al-Dhiabi Al-Otaibi (divorced), mother of Prince Ahmed.
* Mounira bint Mishaal bin Saud Al Rashid (deceased), mother of his two daughters Princess Noura and Princess Munira.
* Mouda bint Salman Al Mandeel Al Khaldi (divorced), mother of Prince Mishaal and Princess Mishael.
* Leila Al Thunayan (divorced), mother of Princess Atab, Princess Rima, and Princess Sarah.<ref>{{cite book |author=As'ad AbuKhalil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfU5ldbBOasC&pg=PA9 |title=The Battle for Saudi Arabia. Royalty, fundamentalism and global power |publisher=Seven Stories Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-58322-610-9 |location=New York City}}</ref>
* Areej bint Salem Al Maree, mother of his youngest two sons, Prince Abdulmajid and Abdul Ilah.
* Hussa bint Muhammed bin Abdulaziz bin Turki (divorced), mother of Princess Daad.<ref name=ssabri/>
* Jowaher bint Mohammed bin Saud bin Nasser Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced), mother of Princess Dima.
* Nawal Al-Kahimi (divorced), mother of Princess Abeer.
* Abir bint Fahd Al Farhan Al Saud (divorced), mother of Fawwaz.
* Tarfah bint Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Aldakhil
* Mouda bint Saud Al Kabeer Al Saud (divorced)
* Dina bint Abdulhamid Alsahhaf (divorced)
* Maha bint Abdullah Albanyan (divorced)
* Ghadir bint Shawaan Al Shibani (divorced)
* Mashail bint Mamdouh Al Ali<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi King, Crown Prince Receive al-Faghm Family Members |url=https://see.news/saudi-king-crown-prince-receive-al-faghm-family-members/|access-date=25 May 2020|work=Sada Elbalad English|date=30 September 2019}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
Prince Sultan was regarded by the House of Saud as a workaholic. He doled out money at banquets in keeping with tribal customs. A conservative, it was expected that he would have put a brake on King Abdullah's timid reforms. Sultan was considered to be pro-American.<ref>{{cite news
|author=Anne Penketh|title=Succession at House of Saud: The men who would be king|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/succession-at-house-of-saud-the-men-who-would-be-king-848505.html|url-access=subscription|access-date=13 April 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=17 June 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Sultan bin Abdulaziz and Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.jpg|thumb|Sultan bin Abdulaziz and [[Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa]] in the 1980s.]]

==Views==
Sultan took a lifetime [[anti-communist]] and [[anti-Soviet]] view, based on his dislike of Soviet [[state atheism]] as well as Soviet interest in Gulf oil and access to ports that he felt risked Saudi independence. He rebuked U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]] for what he saw as "pusillanimity" in the face of the [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]].<ref name=tele>{{cite news|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/8844666/Crown-Prince-Sultan-Ibn-Abdul-Aziz-al-Saud.html|title=Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul-Aziz al Saud|access-date=25 October 2011|date=23 October 2011|location=London}}</ref>

In a 23 October 2001 interview in Kuwaiti newspaper ''[[Al-Seyassah|As Seyassa]]'', concerning [[9/11]] attacks, Sultan stated “Who stands behind this terrorism and who carried out this complicated and carefully planned terrorist operation? Osama bin Laden and those with him have said what indicates that they stand behind this carefully planned act. We, in turn, ask: Are bin Laden and his supporters the only ones behind what happened or is there another power with advanced technical expertise that acted with them?”.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Documents/2001/December%202001/1201verb.pdf|title=Verbatim Special: War on Terror|last=Dudney|first=Robert S.|date=December 2001|volume=84|issue=12|page=45|magazine=[[Air & Space Forces Magazine]]|access-date=22 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314074029/https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Documents/2001/December%202001/1201verb.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Wealth and property==
Prince Sultan's wealth in 1990 was reported to be $1.2 billion.<ref name=cnnfortune>{{cite news|title=The billionaires 1990|work=CNN/Fortune
|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1990/09/10/73983/|access-date=15 August 2012|date=10 September 1990|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117171801/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1990/09/10/73983/|archive-date=17 January 2013}}</ref> In 1993 ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine cited him as the 34th rich person in the world with $4.0 billion wealth.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Billionaires|journal=Fortune|date=28 June 1993|volume=127|issue=13|id={{EBSCOhost|9306140121}}}}</ref> Later, his fortune was estimated at $270 billion, which he distributed between his sons prior to his death in October 2011 in order to support their political position in the competitive princely arena.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mai Yamani|title=Saudi Arabia's Old Regime Grows Older|url=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/saudi-arabia-s-old-regime-grows-older|publisher=Project Syndicate|access-date=23 April 2012|date=25 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Bruce Riedel|title=What to Expect from the New Saudi Crown Prince|url=http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/what-expect-the-new-saudi-crown-prince-6107|access-date=23 April 2012|work=National Interest|date=1 November 2011}}</ref> Prince Sultan owned [[2–8a Rutland Gate]], the former London residence of the Lebanese politician and businessman [[Rafic Hariri]]. Prince Sultan had been given the property after Hariri's assassination in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d6f7ea5a-fcca-11e1-9dd2-00144feabdc0|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6f7ea5a-fcca-11e1-9dd2-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Hyde Park mansion on sale for £300 million|author=Ed Hammond and Sally Gainsbury|date=12 September 2012|work=The Financial Times|access-date=28 October 2015}}</ref>

Documents in the [[Paradise Papers]] release show Prince Sultan used the law firm Appleby at the center of the use of offshore businesses and trusts by world leaders.<ref name="appleby">{{cite web|title=Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|url=https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/stories/prince-khaled-bin-sultan-bin-abdulaziz|website=Offshore Leaks Database|publisher=ICIJ}}</ref>

==Health issues==
Prince Sultan was rumored to have had colon cancer in 2003. A foreign correspondent was forced to leave the country after reporting his health problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3153|title=Saudi Royals Reunited? Crown Prince Sultan Returns Home|author=Simon Henderson|date=11 December 2009|publisher=The Washington Institute|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2004, Prince Sultan was diagnosed with [[colon cancer]] and underwent several corrective surgeries. He underwent an operation to remove an intestinal polyp in [[Jeddah]] in 2005.<ref name=cbcap>{{cite news|title=Saudi heir to throne dies in hospital|access-date=29 July 2012|work=CBC
|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/saudi-heir-to-throne-dies-in-hospital-1.1005092|date=22 October 2011|agency=AP}}</ref><ref name=ahammond8/> Prince Sultan visited a Swiss clinic in late April 2008.<ref name=ahammond8>{{cite news|author=Andrew Hammond|title=Saudi prince health signals possible power clash|url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25776|access-date=11 February 2013|work=Middle East Online|date=7 May 2008|location=Riyadh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519004320/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25776|archive-date=19 May 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In April 2009, he began to suffer from [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref>{{cite news|date=1 February 2011
|url=http://arabia2day.com/featured/crown-prince-sultan-/|title=Crown Prince Sultan Suffers from Alzheimers|work=Arabia Today|access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2011/03/03/the-royal-house-is-rattled-too|title=The royal house is rattled too|date=3 March 2011
|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref>

He was reported to be suffering dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite web|author=Simon Henderson|title=Saudi Arabia's Oil Policy Vacancies|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/saudi-arabias-oil-policy-vacancies|publisher=The Washington Institute
|access-date=27 May 2012|date=7 January 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Vice President Dick Cheney walks with Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz.jpg|thumb|Prince Sultan meets the U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in 2007]]

===Morocco vacation===
In February 2009, Sultan spent several months in New York City at [[New York–Presbyterian Hospital]] and underwent surgery in New York. He then convalesced at [[Agadir]], Morocco. He went back to Saudi Arabia, but soon returned to Morocco in August 2009. During his vacation, the Saudi cabinet increased officer salaries, a traditional domain of Sultan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October446.xml&section=middleeast&col|title=Saudi crown prince in good health, on holiday|date=27 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506055331/http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October446.xml&section=middleeast&col|url-status=dead|agency=Reuters|newspaper=Khaleej Times
|access-date=9 December 2010|archive-date=6 May 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, King Abdullah took charge of all defense purchases and reduced the power of the Defense Ministry. In October 2010, Abdullah personally conducted much of the negotiations for the U.S. arms package worth over $60&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=245784&catid=855|title=For Saudis, U.S. Arms Deal is a Challenge|date=26 October 2010|work=iWireNews|access-date=9 December 2010|archive-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728152121/http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=245784&catid=855|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2010, Sultan received in Agadir Lebanese Prime Minister [[Saad Al-Hariri]] to discuss the future of Lebanon's government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article179739.ece|title=Sultan receives Hariri in Agadir|newspaper=Arab News|date=4 November 2010
|access-date=9 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207202002/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article179739.ece}}</ref> He had been receiving treatment since 2009 for what analysts and diplomats believed to be cancer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saudi king to US for treatment of back ailment
|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101121/wl_mideast_afp/saudipoliticsroyalshealth;_ylt=Ak7X8By.biX9Wemgf9e76MgLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwNTk5N3VsBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDEwMTEyMS9zYXVkaXBvbGl0aWNzcm95YWxzaGVhbHRoBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NhdWRpa2luZ3RvdQ--|date=21 November 2010|work=Yahoo! News|access-date=9 December 2010}}</ref> At the end of November 2010, he returned to Saudi Arabia because King Abdullah had left for the United States for surgery. His return was seen as a legal formality necessary under Saudi law, which stipulates that only one of the kingdom's top two officials can be abroad at a given time.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Summer Said|author2=Margaret Coker|access-date=9 December 2010
|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703567304575628223064983984|title=Saudi King to Seek Medical Care in U.S.|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=22 November 2010}}</ref>

==Death and funeral==
The Saudi Royal court announced on 22 October 2011 that Prince Sultan died at dawn of an unspecified illness.<ref name=nyt1023>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/world/middleeast/prince-sultan-bin-abdel-aziz-of-saudi-arabia-dies.html?pagewanted=all|title=Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz of Saudi Arabia Dies|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 October 2011 |location=New York|issn=0362-4331|access-date=29 August 2012
|author=Neil MacFarquhar}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/22/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud-has-died/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022135806/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/22/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud-has-died/|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 October 2011|title=Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Dies|work=Fox News|access-date=26 June 2012}}</ref> According to media reports, Prince Sultan had been battling cancer and had been seeking medical treatment in the United States since mid-June 2011.<ref name="reuters">{{cite news|author=Angus McDowall|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arabia-sultan-idUSTRE79L0DL20111022|title=Saudi Crown Prince dies: royal court|newspaper=Reuters|date=22 October 2011|access-date=22 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date= 22 October 2011
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15413275|title=Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan dies|work=BBC|access-date=22 October 2011}}</ref> He had a surgical operation in New York in July 2011.<ref name=bbcfuneral>{{cite news|title=Funeral held for Crown Prince Sultan
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15451009|access-date=29 July 2012|work=BBC|date=25 October 2011}}</ref> Unnamed U.S. officials cited by ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated that he died at [[NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital|New York-Presbyterian Hospital]] in [[Manhattan]], New York City.<ref name=nyt1023/>

His body was taken from New York City to Riyadh on 24 October 2011.<ref name=bbcfuneral/> His funeral was held at the [[Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque|Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque]] in Riyadh on 25 October 2011 in the presence of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.<ref name="reuters"/> He was buried in [[Al-Oud cemetery|Al Oud cemetery]] in Riyadh.<ref>{{cite news|author=Abdul Nabi Shaheen|title=Sultan will have simple burial at Al Oud cemetery|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/sultan-will-have-simple-burial-at-al-oud-cemetery-1.916706|access-date=29 July 2012
|newspaper=Gulf News|date=23 October 2011}}</ref>

Various leaders, including the president of Afghanistan, [[Farouk al-Sharaa|Farouk Al Sharaa]], the vice-president of Syria, the Iranian foreign minister and the head of Egypt's ruling military council, participated in the funeral.<ref name=bbcfuneral/> Additionally, other statesmen went to Riyadh to offer their condolences, such as the US Vice President [[Joe Biden]], Pakistani President [[Asif Ali Zardari]] and Malaysian Prime Minister [[Najib Razak]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia holds funeral of Crown Prince Sultan|access-date=29 July 2012|work=Al Arabiya
|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/25/173562.html|date=25 October 2011}}</ref>

==Honours==
Among others, Prince Sultan was the recipient of the following honours and medals:
* [[File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (May 1967)<ref>{{cite web|title=Visit of Roy Mason, Secretary of State for Defence, to Oman and Saudi Arabia, 19-28 April 1975|url=https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/fco/8/2401/n/163|publisher=[[Arabian Gulf Digital Archive]]|access-date=28 August 2023|page=163|quote=British intelligence document, number FCO 8/2401}}</ref>
* [[File:Ordre national du Tchad - Grand Croix.svg|50px]] [[National Order of Chad]], First Class (1972)
* [[File:SEN Order of the Lion - Grand Cross BAR.svg|50px]] [[Order of the Lion of Senegal]] (1972)
* [[File:Cordone di gran Croce OMRI BAR.svg|50px]] [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]], First Class (19 July 1997)<ref>{{Cite web|language=it
|url=https://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/11786|title=Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana|website=www.quirinale.it}}</ref>
* [[File:Order of King Abdulaziz, 1st Class (Saudi Arabia).png|50px]] [[Order of King Abdulaziz]] (1973; First Class).<ref name=ainalyaqeen>{{cite news|title=Head of King Khalid Award announces names of winners|url=http://www.ainalyaqeen.com/arch_2011/nov-25/en5.php|access-date=20 July 2013|work=Ain Al Yaqeen|date=25 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922234736/http://www.ainalyaqeen.com/arch_2011/nov-25/en5.php|archive-date=22 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[File:Ordre national du Merite GO ribbon.svg|50px]] [[National Order of Merit (France)|National Order of Merit]] (1973; Grand Class)<ref name=ainalyaqeen/>
* [[File:VEN Order of the Liberator - Grand Cordon BAR.png|50px]] [[Order of the Liberator]], First Class (Venezuela, 1975)<ref name=ainalyaqeen/>
* [[File:MY Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara (Defender of the Realm)- PMN.svg|50px]] Honorary Commander of the [[Order of the Defender of the Realm#Commander|Order of the Defender of the Realm]] (P.M.N.) (Malaysia; 1982)<ref>{{cite web|website=istiadat.gov.my
|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/|title=Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat}}</ref>
* [[File:MY Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara (Defender of the Realm) - SMN.svg|50px]] Honorary Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Defender of the Realm]] (Malaysia; 2000)<ref>{{cite web|website=istiadat.gov.my|title=Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan
|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/}}</ref>

He was also posthumously given the King Khalid award in 2011.<ref name=ainalyaqeen/>

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud'''
|2= 2. [[Ibn Saud|Abdulaziz ibn Saud]]
|3= 3. [[Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi]]
|4= 4. [[Abdul Rahman bin Faisal]]
|5= 5. [[Sara bint Ahmed Al Sudairi]]
|6= 6. Ahmed bin Muhammed Al Sudairi
|7= 7. Sharifa bint Ali bin Mohammed Al Suwaidi
|8= 8. [[Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud]]
|9= 9. Sara bint Mishari bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Saud
|10= 10. Ahmed Al Kabir bin Mohammed bin Turki Al Sudairi
|12= 12. Muhammed bin Ahmed Al Kabir Al Sudairi
|14= 14. Ali bin Mohammed Al Suwaidi
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-roy|sa}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah bin Abdulaziz]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia]]|years=1 August 2005 &ndash; 22 October 2011}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nayef bin Abdulaziz]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|    before=[[Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]
|    after= Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|    title=Governor of Riyadh
|    years=1947–1952}}

{{succession box
|    before= Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|    after= Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|    title=Second Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
|    years= 1982 &ndash; 27 March 2009}}

{{succession box
|    before= Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|    after= Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|    title=First Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
|    years= 1 August 2005 &ndash; 22 October 2011
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
|titlestyle = style="background:#eee;
|list =
{{Sons of Ibn Saud}}
{{Saudi Crown Princes}}
{{Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm}}}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Sultan Abdulaziz}}
[[Category:20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians|Sultan]]
[[Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians|Sultan]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Al Oud cemetery]]
[[Category:Crown princes of Saudi Arabia|Sultan]]
[[Category:Governors of Riyadh Province|Sultan Abdulaziz]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Saudi Arabia|Sultan]]
[[Category:Aviation ministers of Saudi Arabia|Sultan]]
[[Category:Defense ministers of Saudi Arabia|Sultan]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit]]
[[Category:Saudi heirs apparent who never acceded]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
[[Category:People named in the Panama Papers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Defender of the Realm]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:Sudairi Seven|Sultan]]
[[Category:Survivors of terrorist attacks]]
[[Category:Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Sudan]]
[[Category:Transport ministers of Saudi Arabia]]