Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, a senior member of the Saudi Royal family and father of controversial billionaire bysinessman Prince Al-Whaleed bin Talal, died on Saturday in Riyadh. He was 87, and has been reportedly ill for several years. An elder half-brother of current Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, he was one of the oldest surviving sons of the oil-rich kingdom's founder and first monarch, Ibn Saud. The late Prince has hold some major posts in KSA policy, but was more known for his liberal position, and active support for a constitutional monarchy, which caused controvercy with his royal relatives of a despot elite. Let's look back at his life!
Prince Talal was (believed to be) born on 15 August 1931. He was the twentieth of 45 (well known) sons of polygamic King Abdulaziz (the founder of the third Saudi state) and his sixteenth (?) wife, an Armenian woman called Munaiyir. He was named (according to Bedouin tradition) after his elder brother, 'Talal I', who died four years before his birth, at the age of 3. His mother was regarded as a favorite wife of King Abdulaziz, and an intelligent woman, though she was never educated. He had another full brother, Prince Nawwaf (1932-2015), with whom he contended bitterly over their inheritance after their father's death (1953), and a full sister, Princess Madawi. His mother remained influential throughout her later life, and died in 1991.
Talal was acquired with a lot of priviledge from early on. As a son in-favor of the King, in a country where all powerful positions were occupied by the royal family (and chosen by the monarch), he was appointed the first Minister of Communications (1952) by his father, becoming one of the wealthiest Princes of his generation (though his bureau suffered from corruption issues). He contended over the newly established ministry of air-force with his half-brother, Prince Mishaal, leading the kingdom to have separate fleets until he resigned (1955). After he resigned from the ministry of communications, it was merged with the ministry of finance, due to the preference of his brother (then) King Saud, not to appoint a controversial successor. Hovewer in 1960, Saud appointed Talal as minister of Finance and National Economy, a post he held until his removal in 1962.
Free Princes' Movement
In the late 1950s tensions between the then Saudi King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal, brought some influential sons of Ibn Saud to create a political movement. It was led by Prince Talal, purposed to pass liberal reforms within the Kingdom's corrupt leadership, called for a constitution, and was supported by the kingdom's middle class and Egyptian President' Gamal Abdel Nasser's movement of pan-Arab nationalism. The group drafted its own constitution, electing their own advisory comittee, and removing the King's authority from influencing their decisions. They were strongly opposed by the most members of Al Saud dynasty and initially by King Saud (who had called them "crypto-communists"), though later he was forced to cooperate with them amid the growing popularity of Crown Prince Faisal (through his influential reforms), not in Saud's favor. Talal's involvement to this organisation and support of Nasser (who overthrew Egyptian monarchy) led him to be nicknamed "The Red Prince".Thus in 1960 Talal and other members of this movement received the King's support and high positions in his court. Their influence grew up in the kingdom, while some of them backed the Crown Prince's reforms. This, and the denial to give up his absolute powers, led King Saud to reconcile with Faisal in late 1961, under the precondition to remove the entire movement from the King's Cabinet. Talal was forced to resign from his ministerial position (being succeeded by his brother Nawwaf). He was exiled in Beirut, Lebanon (and later in Cairo, Egypt) with his passport being revoked, properties in KSA confiscated and some supporters arrested. From Cairo, Prince Talal and his fellow brothers formed the "Arab National Liberation Front", also known as the Free Princes Movement, promoting their ideas through local media and openly criticizing Saudi regime. Circumstances in the Arab world (in 1962) brought them also the support of Yemeni revolutionaries, calling to abolish Saudi monarchy. But the next year Free Princes' relationships with Nasser's regime frozed, Talal changed his views and backed Crown Prince Faisal's reforms again, and therefore in 1964 the movement was dissolved, with the exiled Princes being allowed to return in Saudi Arabia, and the subsequent accession of Faisal to the throne as King, following the deposition of Saud bin Abdulaziz.
CHARITABLE WORK
In 1980s Talal bin Abdulaziz became actively involved in humanitarian causes, patronizing various charities around the world. He was the chairman of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organisations (AGFUND), an international humanitarian agency, and President of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, the Arab Network for Non-Governmental Organizations and the Arab Women Centre for Training and Research. He had also been a co-founder or prominent member of NGO's like the Mentor Foundation, Independent Commission for International Humanitarian Issues, and Pasteur Institute's League for Development. Talal provided a major monetary support to UNICEF (through the AGFUND), which named him its Special Envoy in 1980, while UNESCO declared him a Special Envoy for Water in 2002. During his cooperation with UNICEF he became known as 'The Children's Prince'. The prince became internationally recognised for his contribution towards women and children of the third world countries.
LATER LIFE
In his later years, Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz continued to express his criticism for KSA's form of government, and the authority of the King and clergy. In 2001 (following the September 11 terrorist attacks) he publicly stated his view to establish an elected assembly announcing in 2007 his desire to establish a political party of his own to bring out the country's liberalization (which never happened). The prince was a member of the Allegiance Council (the body made up of members of royal elite, authorized to determine the royal succession), but resigned from it in November 2011, in protest of the apointment of Nayef bin Abdulaziz (whose candidacy he questioned) as Crown Prince by (then) King Abdullah. In 2012 he called on the Kingdom's National Anti-Corruption Authority (NACA) to play a more definite role in reduction of the kingdom's corruption, regardless the status of the priviledged class. When (current King) Salman bin Abdulaziz was named Crown Prince (in June 2012), Talal stated that the Allegiance Council hasn't consulted on that decision, and so it lost its effective role. He once again called for the establishment of constitutional monarchy. Until the end of his life, Talal continued to support liberal reforms in the Kingdom, including more women's working rights and their permission to drive (subsequently given them earlier this year) and the limit in Riyaddh's expences on military. When his son, Al Whaleed - a bysinessman, investor and thilanthropist, one of the wealthiest people in the world - was arrested in November last year and detained for corruption allegations, along with other senior Saudi royals in a purge, carried out by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to bring everybody in front of law; prince Talal reacted to this purge, which he described as a 'tyranny' under 'anti-corruption' cover, going on a hunger strike. He stoped eating that November and eventually lost 10 kilograms in a month. Al Whaleed was subsequently released three months later for a finansial settlement of some kind.
Prince Talal had been married four times. He has had totally fifteen children, nine sons and six daughters (with his elder son Faisal known to have predeceased him in 1991). His second wife, Mona Al Solh, is the daughter of Leanon's first post-independence prime minister, Riad Al Solh. They had three children before their marriage collapsed in 1962, including Al Whaleed bin Talal. They later divorsed - in 1968. His last wife Magdah is the daughter of former Human Rights Commission President Turki bin Khaled Al Sudairi. Talal bin Abdul Aziz had also reportedly hired a professor and an instructor from Huston University as private tutors of his daughter Reema (then 18,) in 1976. While another daughter, Sara, claimed political asylum in UK in 2012 amid fears of her safety in Saudi Arabia.
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| King Salman pays his respects to his senior brother Prince Talal, kissing his hand (last November) |
At the end of his life Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz was one of the oldest members of the House of Saud. He passed away on Saturday, 22 December 2018, leaving just eight surviving sons of Ibn Saud. His death was announced by the Saudi Royal Court that day, and was confirmed by his son AbdulAziz bin Talal through his Twitter account. The latter said that the family would receive condolences for 3 days, from Sunday to Tuesday, between sunset and evening prayers each day. The funeral prayers for Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud were performed of Sunday (December 23) afternoon at the Imam Turki Grand Mosque in Riyadh, attended by King Salman and senior members of Al Saud dynasty. He is believed to be buried the same day in an unmarked grave (per Wahhabi tradition), possibly at the Al Oud public cemetery (where his father and other brothers are interred). Following his death was announced Condolences to the King, Crown Prince (and the deceased's family) were extended from fellow Arab leaders, including monarchs of Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait.
HRH PRINCE TALAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL SAUD (15/8/1931 - 22/12/2018) - Senior KSA royal, charitable, liberal, "Red/Children's Prince".
& more additional links of information:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1424461/saudi-arabia
https://web.archive.org/web/20120318031325/http://www.mentorfoundation.org/people.php?nav=3-26-156&id=29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talal_bin_Abdulaziz_Al_Saud
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descendants_of_Ibn_Saud#Munaiyir
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Princes_Movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Waleed_bin_Talal
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/reformist-saudi-prince-talal-bin-abdul-aziz-dies-87-497703514?fbclid=IwAR2NQ9w0OUrqtfgV5DXDRhyohBvaKXfBBOdYm-37G7x0726KrsrNleHiAAs
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/saudi-prince-talal-bin-abdulaziz-dies-aged-87-181222192423681.html
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1424846
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/saudi-arabia/uae-leaders-condole-with-saudi-king-over-death-of-prince-talal-bin-abdulaziz
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