Mishaal bin Abdulaziz | |||||
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Mishaal first from the right
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Born |
5 September 1926 (age 90) Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd |
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Title | Prince Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
Parents |
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Chairman of the Allegiance Council | |||||
In office | 2007– | ||||
Predecessor | Office established | ||||
Monarch |
King Abdullah King Salman |
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Governor of Makkah Province | |||||
In office | 1963–1971 | ||||
Predecessor | Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
Successor | Fawwaz bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Monarch |
King Saud King Faisal |
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Minister of Defense | |||||
In office | 1951–1953 | ||||
Predecessor | Mansour bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
Successor | Fahad bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
Monarch |
King Abdulaziz King Saud |
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House | House of Saud | ||||
Religion | Islam |
Full name | |
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Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
Mishaal bin Abdulaziz (born 1926) was chairman of the Allegiance Council and a senior member of the House of Saud. He held different cabinet posts in the 1950s.
Prince Mishaal was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1926. He was the thirteenth son of King Abdulaziz.
He was the full brother of late Prince Mansour, Prince Mutaib and Princess Qumash who died on 26 September 2011. Their mother was Lebanese, Shahida, (died 1938), who reportedly was favorite wife of King Abdulaziz.
Prince Mishaal served as the Minister of Defense from 12 May 1951 to 1953. He replaced his full brother Prince Mansour as minister of defense when he died of alcohol poisoning after a party hosted by then-Riyadh governor Nasser bin Abdulaziz in 1951. Until that date, Prince Mishaal served as deputy minister of defense. When he became minister, his full younger brother Prince Mutaib was appointed his deputy. As minister of defense, he became one of the most affluent princes in the Al Saud. He bought state land for very cheap prices and yielded extraordinary profits. His manner was reported as serious, quiet, and dignified. But because of his lack of education and experience, Prince Mishaal let the ministry remain completely unorganized. He leaned heavily on advice and recommendation from foreign counsel. He wielded significant influence in King Abdulaziz's government. Because of Mishaal's considerable power, King Abdulaziz countered his influence by appointing Abdullah bin Faisal as minister of health and interior.
At the same time, King Abdulaziz established the ministry of air force under Prince Mishaal to prevent flight-related matters from going under Prince Talal, the then minister of communication. Since Mishaal and Talal could not agree, Saudi Arabia was to have two airline fleets. But in April 1955, Prince Talal resigned and the ministry of communication was merged with ministry of finance. In May 1955, King Saud created a renewed modern National Guard. This was led by Saud's son Prince Khalid who replaced a commoner. This move weakened Prince Mishaal because he had often used the old National Guard's resources.