Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 1921 – 1 August 2005) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005. One of 45 sons of Saudi founder Ibn Saud, and the fourth of his six sons who have ruled the Kingdom (Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd, Abdullah and Salman), Fahd ascended to the throne on the death of his half-brother, King Khalid, on 13 June 1982. Fahd was appointed Crown Prince when Khalid succeeded his half-brother King Faisal, who was assassinated in 1975. Fahd was viewed as the de facto Prime Minister during King Khalid's reign in part due to the latter's ill health. Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995, after which he was unable to continue performing his full official duties. His half-brother, Abdullah, the country's Crown Prince, served as de facto regent of the kingdom and succeeded Fahd as monarch upon his death in August 2005. King Fahd is credited for having introduced the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia in 1992.
Early life
Fahd bin Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh in 1921.[3][4] He is the eighth son of Ibn Saud.[5] His mother was Hassa Al Sudairi[6] and he was the eldest member of the Sudairi Seven.[7] Fahd's education took place at the Princes' School in Riyadh, a school established by Ibn Saud specifically for the education of members of the House of Saud.[8] He received education for four years as a result of his mother's urging.[9] While at the Princes' School, Fahd studied under tutors including Sheikh Abdul-Ghani Khayat.[10] He then went on to receive education at the Religious Knowledge Institute in Mecca. Prince Fahd was made a member of the royal advisory board at his mother's urging.[12] In 1945, Prince Fahd traveled on his first state visit to San Francisco for the signing of the UN charter.[13] On this trip he served under his brother, Prince Faisal, who was at the time Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.[11] In 1953, Fahd led his first official state visit, attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the House of Saud.[10][14][15] On 24 December 1953, Prince Fahd was appointed education minister, being the first person holding this post in the country.[16][17] Prince Fahd led the Saudi delegation to the League of Arab States in 1959, signifying his increasing prominence in the House of Saud—and that he was being groomed for a more significant role. In 1962, Fahd was given the important post of interior minister.[9] As interior minister he headed the Saudi delegation at a meeting of Arab Heads of State in Egypt in 1965.[11] He was named second deputy prime minister in 1967, which was created for the first time by King Faisal