Saudi Prince Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Dies; King Salman becomes the oldest surviving son of Ibn Saud (2/12/2019)

A senior member of the House of Saud passed away on Monday, December 2. Prince Mutaib (or Miteb) bin Abdulaziz, one of the oldest-know members of Saudi ruling family, died at the age of ~88 (or 91). He was the eldest surviving son of Saudi Arabia's founder & first King Abdulaziz (also known as Ibn Saud) since the death of his half-brother, Prince Bandar last July at the age of 95.

Born in 1931 (or 1928) in Riyadh, Prince Mutaib was the 17th son of King Abdulaziz (who in total had ~45 sons, 36 of whom survived infancy) from an Armenian wife, Princess Shahida. He was a full brother of Princes Mansour (1921-1951) & Misha'al (1926-2017). When the former died (1951), the latter succeeded him as Minister of Defence & Mutaib was appointed his deputy.

He retained that post until 1956, & from 1958 to 1961 served as Governor of Makkah province (a position Prince Misha'al later held). In 1971 both brothers resigned from cabinet posts for unclear reasons, with Prince Miteb rejoining again as public work & Housing minister in 1975. He served as Minister of Municipal & Rural Affairs for nearly three decades (1980-2009) before retiring to be succeeded by his son (Mansour bin Mutaib).

Apart from his political career, Miteb bin Abdulaziz was also an active enterpreneur in his family's kingdom & abroad. He was reported to exercize the right on the country's national fishery revenues (a gift from his father) & also shared the partnership of a real estate company & a beverage firm, among others. The Prince was listed as the 98th richest Arab worldwide, owning US $ 1100.1 million.

CTHM King Salman (right) attending Prince Mutaib's funeral

His death at an advanced age was briefly announced by KSA' royal court & condolences (by &) to the King (his half-brother) & his family received from various leaders & royals across the arab world. Prince Miteb was laid to rest in Makkah on Tuesday, December 3 (2019), after an evening funeral prayer at Riyadh's Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque. Following his death, six sons of Ibn Saud are left alive. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (since 2015) King Salman becomes the oldest surviving, the last Saudi King to hold this record (& last of his brothers to reign over the kingdom).