Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (26 June 1923 – 19 August 2013)[1] was a member of the House of Saud. He was the twelfth son of Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He was the father of Faisal bin Musaid, the assassin of his brother King Faisal.

Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Born26 June 1923
Died19 August 2013 (aged 90)
SpouseWatfa bint Muhammad bin Talāl Al Rashid
Fatima bint Hashim bin Turki
IssuePrince Khaled
Prince Faisal
Prince Bandar
Prince Abdullah
Prince Abdul Rahman
Princess Al Jawhara
Full name
Musa'id bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud
HouseHouse of Saud
FatherIbn Saud
MotherJawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi

Early life

Musa'id was born in 1923. His father was Ibn Saud and his mother was Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi. Before marrying Ibn Saud she had been married to Ibn Saud's full brother, Saad bin Abdul Rahman, until the latter's death in 1915.[2] Her sister, Haya Al Sudairi, was also a spouse of Ibn Saud and the mother of Prince Badr, Prince Abdul Majid and Prince Abdul Illah.

Musa'id had two full-brothers Prince Saad and Prince Abdul Muhsin and one full-sister Princess Al Bandari.[3]

Personal life

Following the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia Musa'id and his brothers began to live in several European cities, including Paris and London among the others.[4] During this period Musa'id was caught in an inappropriate manner in Paris and was immediately sent to Saudi Arabia.[4] His father, Ibn Saud, confined Musa'id to the palace which made their relations negative decreasing the latter's potential chance to rule the country.[4]

Musa'id married Watfa, a daughter of Muhammad bin Talāl, the 12th (and last) Rashidi amir. Their son Faisal bin Musaid was born in Riyadh on 4 April 1944. He subsequently divorced Watfa. His sons and daughters by Watfa were much closer to their maternal Rashidi relatives than their paternal relatives, Al Sauds.[5]

In 1965, his son Khaled, who was a fervent Wahhabite,[6] was killed during a Riyadh protest against the introduction of television in Saudi Arabia.[7] The details of his death are disputed. Some reports allege that he died resisting arrest outside his own home.[5] No investigation over his death was ever initiated.

Musa'id had another son, Bandar, and a daughter, Al Jawhara. He also had another son Abdul Rahman bin Musaid from a subsequent marriage. Abdullah bin Musa'id, another son, is a businessman and the owner of Sheffield United.[8]

Assassination of King Faisal

On 25 March 1975 his son Faisal bin Musaid went to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, where King Faisal was holding a majlis. He joined a Kuwaiti delegation and lined up to meet the king. The king recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal could kiss the king's head in a sign of respect. The prince took out a revolver from his robe and shot the King twice in the head. His third shot missed and he threw the gun away. King Faisal fell to the floor. Bodyguards with swords and submachine guns arrested the prince. The king was quickly rushed to a hospital but doctors failed to save him.[9]

Initial reports described Faisal bin Musaid as "mentally deranged." He was moved to a Riyadh prison. He was deemed sane to be tried.[10] He was found guilty of murder. Hours after the verdict, he was publicly decapitated in Riyadh. The assassin's brother Bandar was also imprisoned, but was released a year later.[5]

Later life

Prince Musa'id did not hold any significant administrative positions and hence he was sidelined for the throne. The involvement of his son Faisal in the assassination of King Faisal could also have weakened his position. In addition he seemingly never sought one. He gradually lost his eyesight after the death of his first son, Khalid. He lived an austere private life where he was known to be pious.

Death

The Royal Diwan announced that Prince Musa'id had died on 19 August 2013.[1] He was the second eldest living son of Ibn Saud at the time of his death next only to Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It was announced that funeral prayers for the late prince would be held at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh the next day and a three-day mourning period was also declared.[11]

Ancestry

References
  1. "Saudi Arabia announces demise of Prince Musad bin Abdulaziz". Kuwait News Agency. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  2. "Appendix 6. The Sons of Abdulaziz" (PDF). Springer. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. "Succession In Saudi Arabia". Joseph A. Kechichian. Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  4. Jennifer Bond Reed (2006). The Saudi Royal Family (Modern World Leaders). Chelsea House Publishers. pp. 42–43.
  5. Madawi Al Rasheed (1991). Politics in an Arabian Oasis. The Rashidis of Saudi Arabia. New York: I. B. Tauirs & Co. Ltd. pp. 251–2. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  6. Tariq Ali (2001). "Kingdom of corruption: Keeping an eye on the ball: the Saudi connection" (PDF). Index on Censorship. 30: 14–18. doi:10.1080/03064220108536972. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013.
  7. Alexander Bligh (1985). "The Saudi religious elite (Ulama) as participant in the political system of the kingdom". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 17: 37–50. doi:10.1017/S0020743800028750.
  8. "Blades owner Prince Abdullah open to business with bin Laden family". Reuters. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. "Saudi Arabia: The death of a desert monarch". Time Magazine. 7 April 1975. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  10. "Milwaulkee Sentinel." Faisal's lawyer Will Stand Trial [Milwaukee, Wisconsin] 31 Mar. 1975: 2. Print.
  11. "Prince Musaed bin Abdul Aziz passes away". Arab News. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
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