Brief biography of Saudi Crown Prince Sultan

Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is considered among the most influential figures in the Saudi royal family. The 15th son of King Abdul-Aziz was officially born in Riyadh in 1924. His mother was Princess Hassa Al-Sudairi. Sultan, who is considered one of the Sudairi Seven, received his education at a royal school.          

In 1947, he kicked off his political journey. He became Minister of Agriculture and Water in 1953 and Minister of Transportation in 1955.        

In 1972, Sultan was appointed as Minister of Defense. In 1982, he was appointed as Second Deputy Prime Minister.       

In 2005, Sultan became Crown Prince, maintaining his position as Deputy Prime Minister. In 2006, King Abdullah Issued a Royal Order that formed the "Allegiance Council” and institutionalized the method by which the Royal Family's succession is determined.        

In September 2005, Sultan made his first appearance in an international forum during the U.N. General Assembly, where he stood up to address his country.      

Sultan presided over the development of the Saudi armed forces and purchased tanks, fighter planes, missiles, airborne warning and control systems from the U.S. and the U.K.            

Prince Sultan strongly endorsed efforts to strengthen bilateral ties with U.S. after September 11 attacks. His son prince Bandar maintained the position of Saudi ambassador to the U.S. for twenty years. However, he distanced himself from the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a stance shared by all the royal family.      

As Heir Apparent and Crown Prince, Sultan was first in the Saudi line of succession. However, he started suffering from health problems which forced him to suspend public work for a long period of time. In 2004, Sultan had been rumored to have had colon cancer. He spent several months in the U.S to undergo surgeries. In February 2009, he underwent a surgery in New York after which he went to his castle in morocco to spend his recovery period which lasted until December 2009. Sultan later resumed normal activity and presided over several cabinet sessions. This year, he travelled again to New York to receive treatment.     

On Saturday, October 22, 2011, the royal court announced the death of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan at the age of 86.