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Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud

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In thisArabic name,thesurnameisAl Saud.

Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud(Arabic:الوليد بن طلال آل سعود;born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist, and aHouse of Saudroyal. In 2008, he was listed onTimemagazine'sTime 100,an annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world.[2]Al Waleed is a grandson ofAbdulaziz,the firstking of Saudi Arabia,and ofRiad Al Solh,Lebanon's firstprime minister.

Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud
Al Waleed in 2015
Years active1979–present
Alma materMenlo College
Syracuse University
Born(1955-03-07)7 March 1955(age 69)[1]
Jeddah,Saudi Arabia[1]
Spouses
​
​
(m.1976;div.1994)​
Iman Al Sudairi
​
​
(m.1996;div.1997)​
Kholood Al Anazi
​
​
(m.1999;div.2004)​
​
​
(m.2008;div.2013)​
IssuePrince Khaled
Princess Reem
HouseAl Saud
FatherTalal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
MotherMona El Solh
OccupationChairman and CEO ofKingdom Holding Company

Al Waleed is the founder, chief executive officer and 95 percent owner[3]of theKingdom Holding Company,a company with investments in companies in the financial services, tourism and hospitality, mass media, entertainment, retail, agriculture, petrochemicals, aviation, technology, and real-estate sectors.[4]In 2013, the company had amarket capitalizationof over $18 billion.[5]He owns Paris'Four Seasons Hotel George Vand part of New York'sPlaza Hotel.[6][7]Timehas called him the "ArabianWarren Buffett".[8][9]In November 2017,Forbeslisted Al Waleed as the 7th-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $39.8 billion.[10][11]

On 4 November 2017, Al Waleed and other prominent Saudis (including fellow billionairesWaleed bin Ibrahim Al IbrahimandSaleh Abdullah Kamel) were arrested inSaudi Arabia,in apurgethat the Saudi government characterized as an anti-corruption drive.[12][13]The allegations against Al Waleed include money laundering, bribery, and extorting officials.[14] Some of the detainees were held in theRitz-Carlton, Riyadh.[15]Al Waleed was released from detention on 27 January 2018, following a financial settlement of some kind, after nearly three months in detention.[16][17]In March 2018 he was dropped from theWorld's Billionaireslist due to lack of current information.[18]He was listed in the 'Top 100 most powerful Arabs' from 2013 to 2021 byGulf Business.[19][20][21]

Early life and education

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Al Waleed bin Talal was born inJeddahon 7 March 1955[22][23]toPrince Talal bin Abdulazizand Mona El Solh.[24][25]His father was Saudi Arabia's finance minister during the early 1960s,[26]before he went into exile due to his advocacy for political reform.[27]Al Waleed's paternal grandparents wereKing Abdulazizand Munaiyir. His grandmother, anArmenian,was presented by the emir ofUnayzahto King Abdulaziz in 1921, when she was 12 years old and Abdulaziz was 45.[28]His maternal grandparents wereRiad Al Solh,the firstprime minister of Lebanon,and Fayza Al Jabiri, the sister ofSyrianPrime MinisterSaadallah al-Jabiri.[29]

Al Waleed's parents separated when he was seven, and he lived with his mother in Lebanon.[27]He first attended Pinewood College in Beirut.[1]: 19–20 As a boy, he ran away from home for a day or two at a time, sleeping in unlocked cars, before attending the King Abdulaziz Military Academy in Riyadh.[27][1]: 26 In 1974, he returned to Lebanon, attending the Choueifat School and then Manor School.[1]: 27, 33 Al Waleed received a bachelor's degree in business administration fromMenlo Collegein California in 1979,[30][31]finishing in two-and-a-half years,[1]: 43 and a master's degree with honors in social science from theMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsatSyracuse Universityin 1985,[32][33]finishing in eleven months.[1]: 57 

Business career

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Al Waleed began his business career in 1979 after graduating fromMenlo College.He returned to Saudi Arabia, which was in the midst of the 1974–85oil boom.[34]Operating from a small, four-room cabin in Riyadh and $30,000 start-up money provided by his father, Al Waleed formed Kingdom Establishment in 1980. When that money ran out in a few months, he secured a $300,000 loan from the Saudi American Bank, partly owned by Citibank. Rather than taking a commission for facilitating contracts as the legally required middleman, Al Waleed insisted on a stake in the project. His first success was in 1982, partnering with a South Korean construction company, and from then on, his commissions were used to fund his real estate deals. In his own words, "All the money I used to get from this construction I would plough back into real estate, and in the stock market, both."[1]: 42–54 

After the end of the Saudi oil boom, Al Waleed acquired the underperforming United Saudi Commercial Bank (USCB). Through mergers with Saudi Cairo Bank (SCB), forming United Saudi Bank (USB), and theSaudi American Bank(SAMBA), it became a leading Middle Eastern bank.[35]The hostiletakeoverof USCB in 1986, the merger with SCB in 1997, and the merger of USB with SAMBA in 1999, were the first of their kind in the Kingdom. He then secured a majority inAl-Azizia Panda,merging it with theSavola Group,and took over National Industrialization Company.[1]: 60–71, 146–148 

By 1989, his net worth was $1.4 billion, and included stakes inCanary Wharf,Four Seasons Hotel Group,and News Corporation. When Al Waleed turned to the international market, he focused on "established brands going through hard times," as Riz Khan puts it. Al Waleed would do his homework, and then wait for the proper purchase entry point. He invested about $250 million inChase Manhattan,Citigroup,Manufacturers Hanover,andChemical Bank.After seven months, he sold his stakes in the other banks and concentrated on investing in Citicorp, acquiring 4.9 percent of the bank. Though the worst performing bank of the four, Al Waleed considered Citicorp had the best potential.[1]: 49, 73–76, 121 

In September 1990, Citibank wasundercapitalizeddue to real estate credit losses and exposure to Latin America debt, prompting a need for a capital reserve. By November, they were actively seeking investors. Based on his banking experience in the Kingdom, Al Waleed agreed in January 1991 to invest $590 million, about half his accumulated wealth, in a five-yearconvertible securitypaying 11 percent interest. By Feb., that took his total investment in Citicorp to $797 million, or about 15 percent of the company. Though he had received aFederal Reservetemporary waiver to own such a large portion of the company, Al Waleed sold enough shares in 1993 to get below the 10 percent threshold. Still, he was the largest shareholder in the largest US financial institution at the time. Yet, in Alwaleed's words, "It is not a relationship, it's an alliance. We are there forever with them."Sandy Weillsays of Al Waleed, "I think what he did really saved the bank."[1]: 77–98 [36]

In 1993, Al Waleed purchased a 10 percent stake inSaks Fifth Avenuefor $100 million. Aflagship storewas then opened in Riyadh.[1]: 121 

In 1994, Al Waleed secured a 50 percent controlling interest inFairmont,and a 22 percent stake in the Four Seasons. In 1995, he bought a 42 percent stake in the Plaza Hotel, and it was reported that he was working on a music channel[37]for his satellite TV platform.

Then, in 1996, he bought the George V for $185 million, and spent $120 million renovating it for a reopening in Dec 1999. Regarding Al Waleed's investment in the George V,Issy Sharpstates, "...he created value where no one else could..."[1]: 110–118 

In the same year,[when?]Al Waleed purchased a 24 percent stake in Euro Disney for $345 million.[1]: 128 

In 1995, Kingdom Establishment for Trading and Contracting was reorganized as the Kingdom Holding Company, and Al Waleed announced construction of theKingdom Centre,Kingdom Hospital, Kingdom School and Kingdom City. Also in 1995, he bought a 2.3 percent share ofMediasetafter having invested earlier in theArab Radio and Television Network,acquiring 30 percent. In October 1995, Al Waleed joined a consortium which paid $1.2 billion for control of Canary Wharf, with his share of the company amounting to 6 percent, costing him $66 million.[1]: 52, 120–121, 139–145 

In March 1997, Al Waleed purchased a 5 percent stake inApple Inc.,making him the largest shareholder. In Nov. 1997, he purchased 1 percent share ofMotorolafor $287 million and a five percent share ofNetscapefor $146 million, before its purchase byAOLand merger withTime Warner.In 2001 and 2002, Al Waleed increased his stake in AOL Time Warner by another $540 million.[1]: 122–125 He also invested inMCI,Fox Broadcastingand other technology and media companies.[38]

Timereported in 1997 that Al Waleed owned about five percent ofNews Corporation,[39]which he purchased for $400 million, making him the third largest shareholder. In April 1999, Al Waleed purchased an additional $200 million of preferred shares.[1]: 123–124 In 2010, his News Corporation stake was about seven percent ($3 billion). Three years later, News Corporation had a $175 million (19-percent) investment in Al Waleed'sRotana Group,the Arab world's largest entertainment company. A review of his holdings implied that Al Waleed had sold his investment in AOL.[40]

In April 1997, Al Waleed purchased a 4 percent stake inPlanet Hollywoodfor $57 million, and another 16 percent in November 1998 for $45 million.[1]: 132 

In October 1997, Al Waleed bought 27 percent ofMövenpick Hotels & Resorts,which he increased to 33 percent in 2003.[1]: 143 

In 1999,The Economistexpressed doubts about the source of his income, wondering if he was a front man for other Saudi investors:

He has not earned enough income from his investments to pay for all that he has spent in the 1990s. The mystery goes back to that first stake in Citicorp. The prince has declared that this money came entirely from his personal funds. He says he started out in 1979 with a loan of just $30,000 from his father. He also mortgaged a house that his father had given him, raising something like $400,000. And each month, as a grandson of Ibn Saud, he receives $15,000. You could barely clothe a Saudi prince for such sums, let alone furnish him with a multi-billion-dollar empire. Nevertheless, by 1991 Prince Alwaleed had felt able to risk an investment of $797m in Citicorp.[36]

Al Waleed invested inWorldCom,Priceline,Coca-Cola,andFord Motor Company,totaling almost $2 billion. In Asia, he bought 5.9 percent ofDaewoofor $50 million, which he increased to 18 percent with an additional $100 million investment, 3 percent ofPROTON Holdingsfor $46 million, 3 percent ofOng Beng Seng's Hotel Properties Ltd., and $50 million worth ofHyundai Motor Companybonds.In Africa, he invested $50 million, acquiring 10 percent ofSonatel,10 percent ofEcobank,13.7 percent ofUnited Bank for Africa,and 14 percent ofCAL Bank.Investments which turned out poorly included WorldCom, Priceline,Teledesic,andKirchMedia,besides Planet Hollywood and Euro Disney.[1]: 133–137, 152 

His stake in Apple was sold in 2005.[27]Al Waleed also invested in EastmanKodakandTWA,both of which performed moderately well.[41]

In 2002, Al Waleed formed Kingdom Hotel Investments to oversee his hotel assets.[1]: 108 

By 2003, Al Waleed owned 100 percent of Rotana, and 49 percent ofLBC Sat.[1]: 144–146 

His real-estate holdings included large stakes in theFour Seasons Hotels and Resortsand New York'sPlaza Hotel;Al Waleed sold half his shares in the Plaza in August 2004. He has invested in London'sSavoy Hoteland Monaco's Monte Carlo Grand Hotel. Al Waleed holds a ten-percent stake inEuro Disney S.C.A.,the company which owns, manages and maintainsDisneyland ParisinMarne-la-Vallée.[42][1]: 113–114 

The 2004Forbeslist of wealthiest people had Al Waleed fourth, with a net worth of $21.5 billion. More than $1.3 billion was in hotel holdings.[1]: 99, 115 

The Savoy Hotel in London is owned by Al Waleed

In January 2005, Al Waleed purchased the Savoy Hotel in London for an estimated£250 million, to be managed byFairmont Hotels and Resorts;his sister, Sultana Nurul, owns an estimated 16 percent stake. In January 2006, in partnership with the U.S. real-estate firmColony NorthStar,Kingdom Holding acquiredToronto-basedFairmont Hotels and Resortsfor an estimated $3.9 billion. It was reported in 2009 that Al Waleed owned 35 percent of Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), a large mid-east media company.[43]

In August 2011, Al Waleed announced that his company had contracted with theSaudi Binladin Groupto build theworld's tallest building,theKingdom Tower(at a height of at least 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)) forSR4.6 billion.[44]The original plan—announced in 2008—called it برج الميل (Arabic for "One-Mile Tower" ), at a height of 1,609 metres (5,279 ft)[45]and an estimated cost of $20 billion.[46]

In December 2011, Al Waleed invested $300 million in Twitter, purchasing secondary shares from insiders.[47]The purchase gave Kingdom Holding "more than 3% share" in the company, which was valued at $8 billion in late summer 2011.[3]

In 2015, he announced that he would donate his fortune to charity at an unspecified date. He had previously donated $3.5 billion over the course of 35 years through his charitable organization Alwaleed Philanthropies.[48]

From 2015 to 2021, he lost several lawsuits againstPierre El Daher,CEO of LBCI, and would be required to pay $22m, due to breaches in contract conditions with the Lebanese broadcaster.[49]

In May 2022, he was listed as committing to purchase approximately 35 million shares ofTwitterInc. at or immediately prior to the purchase of Twitter byElon Muskand other private-equity investors behind Musk's bid.[50]

Arrest and release

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Main article:2017 Saudi Arabian purge

On 4 November 2017, Al Waleed was one of those arrested inSaudi Arabiain a "corruption crackdown" conducted by a new royal anti-corruption committee.[56]In total, 320 princes, ministers and businessmen were detained at the five-starRitz-Carlton Hotelin Riyadh.[57]This was done on the orders of Crown PrinceMohammad bin Salman,who acted with the aim of consolidating his position as the next ruler of the kingdom.[58]Crown PrinceMohammad bin Salmanis Al Waleed's first cousin; both are male-line grandsons ofIbn Saud,firstmonarchand founder of Saudi Arabia.

Al Waleed and most of the other Saudi notables arrested made financial settlements of some kind with the Saudi government before they were released.[16]In his case, as in the case of most of the other detainees, the Saudi Arabian government did not disclose charges or produce evidence, and the negotiations were held in secret.[59]In December, some weeks after the arrests, it was reported that the Saudi Arabian authorities were demanding $6 billion from Prince Al Waleed bin Talal in exchange for his release.[60][61]

Al Waleed was released from detention in late January 2018, nearly three months after his arrest.[17]According to a Wall Street Journal report, the price for his release was $6 billion.[62]In comparison, his first cousin PrinceMutaib bin Abdullah,son of the lateKing Abdullah(1924–2015), was released after reportedly paying $1 billion.[63]

Just days before his arrest, Al Waleed reportedly contacted US-based Saudi journalistJamal Khashoggi(who had publicly criticized the Saudi government in the past) and invited him to return to the Kingdom to contribute to Mohammad bin Salman's vision.[64]

Forbesdispute

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In 2013, Kerry Dolan, editor ofForbes'annual billionaires' list, wrote an article accompanying the list entitled "Prince Alwaleed and the Curious Case of Kingdom Holding Stock".[27]According to Dolan, Al Waleed attached great importance to theForbeslist and she alleged a correlation between changes in the share price of Kingdom Holdings and the annual run-up to the list's publication.[27]In theForbesarticle, Dolan wrote that Al Waleed would blind copy Dolan on text messages he sent to prominent people in an attempt to impress her. She spent a week with him in Riyadh in 2008, at his behest, touring his palaces. In 2006Forbesestimated Al Waleed's net worth at $7 billion less than he claimed. He telephoned Dolan at home, according to the editor, "nearly in tears".[27]Al Waleed had Kingdom Holding's chief financial officer fly to New York before a previous list was published to ensure thatForbesused his stated numbers.[27]

The article explains the methodology behindForbes'2013 estimate of his wealth at $20 billion, examines Kingdom Holdings' share performance and contains Dolan's communications with Kingdom Holdings CFO Shadi Sanbar. Sanbar demanded that Al Waleed's name be removed from the billionaires' list ifForbesdid not increase its valuation of his wealth.[27]Dolan wrote, "AsForbesasked increasingly specific questions in the process of fact-checking this story, the prince acted unilaterally the day before it was published, announcing through his office that he would 'sever ties' with the list. "[27]Sanbar said in a press release, "Prince Alwaleed has taken this step as he felt he could no longer participate in a process which resulted in the use of incorrect data and seemed designed to disadvantage Middle Eastern investors and institutions."[27]

Al Waleed said in a March 2013 interview withThe Sunday Telegraphthat he would pursue legal action againstForbes.[65]"They are accusing me ofmarket manipulation,"Al Waleed said." This is all wrong and a false statement. We will fight it all the way againstForbes."[65]He called theForbeslist "flawed and inaccurate", saying that it "displays bias against Middle East investors and financial institutions."[65]

The Guardianreported that on 6 June 2013, Al Waleed had brought a defamation claim in London against the publisher ofForbes;its editor,Randall Lane,and two journalists from the magazine.[66]Forbesexpressed surprise at the libel action and the fact that it was filed in London.[66]According to the magazine, "The Prince's suit would be precisely the kind of libel tourism that the UK's recently passed libel reform law is intended to thwart. We would anticipate that the London high court will agree.Forbesstands by its story. "[66]As of 20 June,Forbeshad not been served with papers.[67]

A statement issued by theKingdom Holding CompanyaccusedForbesof publishing a "deliberately insulting and inaccurate description of the business community in Saudi Arabia and specifically,Forbes'denigration of the Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul), which is one of the most regulated in the world ". According to Al Waleed, the magazine used an" irrational and deeply flawed valuation methodology, which is ultimately subjective and discriminatory ".[68]

On 16 June 2015,Forbesand Al Waleed released a joint statement announcing that they had settled their dispute "on mutually agreeable terms". The opening of the Saudi stock exchange to foreign investors was cited as key in the defendants' willingness to consider the stock price of Al Waleed's publicly traded Kingdom Holding Company in valuing the KHC component of his wealth.[69]

Political views

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Al Waleed tweeted a statement with a picture of himself holding an honorary Palestinian passport, "In response to the news of the visit to Israel: I have not and will not visit Jerusalem or pray inside it until its liberation from the Zionist enemy. And I carry an honorary Palestinian passport".[70]

In 2015, Al Waleed was criticised for offering to buy Bentley cars for Saudi fighter pilots involved in theSaudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.In a tweet later deleted, he said: "In appreciation of their role in this operation, I'm honoured to offer 100 Bentley cars to the 100 Saudi [fighter] pilots".[71]

Philanthropy

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In July 1997, Al Waleed invested $10 million with the Palestinian Investment and Development Company (PADICO), and then helped cofound the Jerusalem Development and Investment Company (JEDICO).[1]: 149 150 

In 2002, Al Waleed donated $500,000 to help fund theGeorge Herbert Walker Bushscholarship atPhillips AcademyinAndover, Massachusetts.[40]He donated £18.5 million to Palestinian families during a TVtelethonordered by Saudi KingFahdto help relatives of Palestinians afterIsraeli operationsin theWest Bankcity ofJenin.In 2004, he contributed $17 million to victims of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[72]

On 1 July 2015, Al Waleed held a press conference announcing his intention to donate $32 billion to philanthropic causes. He said that the funds would be used for humanitarian projects such as the empowerment of women and youth, disaster relief, disease eradication and building bridges of understanding between cultures.[73]

Donation after 11 September attacks

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After the11 September attacks,Al Waleed gave a cheque for $10 million to New York City MayorRudy Giuliani,despite Saudi opposition. In a written statement after his donation, Al Waleed said: "At times like this, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack. I believe the government of the United States of America should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause." As a result of that statement, Giuliani returned his cheque.[74][75]Al Waleed said to a Saudi weekly magazine about Giuliani's rejection of his check, "The whole issue is that I spoke about their position [on the Middle East conflict] and they didn't like it because there are Jewish pressures and they are afraid of them."[76]

Giuliani replied to this by suggesting that Al Waleed's comment was actually part of the problem: "There is no moral equivalent for this [terrorist] act. There is no justification for it... And one of the reasons I think this happened is because people were engaged in moral equivalency in not understanding the difference betweenliberal democracieslike the United States, like Israel, and terrorist states and those who condone terrorism. So I think not only are those statements wrong, they're part of the problem. "[77]

Western universities

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In 2005, Al Waleed gaveGeorgetown University$20 million to create the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) in the university'sSchool of Foreign Service,the second largest donation in the school's history.[78]On 8 May 2008, Al Waleed gave £16 million toEdinburgh Universityto fund a "centre for the study of Islam in the contemporary world".[79]He has also endowed the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR).[80]The Institute for Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medical College is named for Al Waleed.[81]The Centre of Islamic Studies at theUniversity of Cambridge[82]and the Islamic Studies Program atHarvard Universityare also named after him.[83][84]At his alma materSyracuse University,Al Waleed is an honorary member of the advisory board of theMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.[32][85]

First Saudi female pilot

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Al Waleed is considered a proponent of female emancipation in the Saudi world. He financed the training ofHanadi Zakaria al-Hindias the first Saudi woman commercial airline pilot, and said at her graduation that he is "in full support of Saudi ladies working in all fields".[86]Al-Hindi became certified to fly within Saudi Arabia in 2014.[87]

Assets

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Kingdom 5KR

Al Waleed owns the 65th-largest privateyachtin the world, the 85.9-metre (282 ft)Kingdom 5KR(originally built as theNabilaforSaudiarms dealerAdnan Khashoggiin 1979). In 1983, owned by Khashoggi, it appeared as theFlying Saucer(the yacht ofJames Bond's villain, Largo) inNever Say Never Again.It was sold toDonald Trump,who renamed her theTrump Princess.Al Waleed bought the yacht after Trump experienced financial problems in the late 1980s.[88]

Al Waleed ordered a yacht known as theNew Kingdom 5KR,about 173 metres (568 ft) long with an estimated cost of over $500 million. The yacht is designed by Lindsey Design, and its design was delivered in late 2010.[89]

He owns several aircraft converted for private use: aBoeing 747,[90]anAirbus A321and aHawker Siddeley 125.Al Waleed was the first individual to purchase anAirbus A380and was due to take delivery of it in the spring of 2013, but it was sold before delivery.[41]

Among his assets are a 95-percent stake in Kingdom Holding Company; 91-percent ownership of Rotana Video and Audio Visual Company; 90-percent ownership of theLebanese Broadcasting Corporation;seven-percent ownership ofNews Corporation;about six-percent ownership ofCitigroup,and a 17-percent ownership ofAl Naharand a 25-percent ownership ofAd-Diyar(two daily newspapers published inLebanon). Al Waleed topped the first Saudi Rich List in 2009, with assets of $16.3 billion.[91]

Palaces

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Al Waleed owns three palaces: two existing and a third under construction. The 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) Kingdom Palace, in central Riyadh, is his primary home. According toTimemagazine, "Al Waleed lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a $130 million sand-colored palace whose 317 rooms are adorned with 1,500 tons of Italian marble, silk oriental carpets, gold-plated faucets and 250 TVs. It has four kitchens, for Arabic, Continental and Asian cuisines, and a fourth just for dishing up desserts, run by chefs who can feed 2,000 people on an hour's notice. There is also a lagoon-shaped pool and a 45-seat basement cinema".[92]The 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) Kingdom Resort, also in central Riyadh, has three lakes interspersed with gardens. The 4,000,000-square-foot (370,000 m2) Kingdom Oasis, under construction, will have a 70,000-square-metre (17-acre) lake and a private zoo.

Awards

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Al Waleed received the first order[93]of theOrder of King Abdulazizof Saudi Arabia[94]in 2002 and is a recipient of the LebaneseNational Order of the Cedar.[94]On 2 December 2009, he received the Order of Izzudin fromMaldivesPresidentMohamed Nasheed;[95]that year he also received the Star of Palestine, the highest honour conferred by theState of Palestine.[96]In 2010, Al Waleed received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Innovation.[97]He received the Bahrain Medal of the First Order, the country's highest honorary medal in late May 2012.[98]He received the Nepalese third-order Mahaujjval Rastradip Manpadvi, the highest award bestowed on a foreigner,[99]andGuinea-Bissau's Colina De Boe Medal in August 2012.[100]In June 2013 Al Waleed was made Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic ofSierra Leone(GCRSL), the country's highest honour.[101]On 13 December 2014, he was made an Honorary Companion of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Malta.[102]

Honors

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Saudi Arabian national honours

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Ribbon bar Honour
Member 1st Class of theOrder of Abdulaziz Al Saud

Foreign honors

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Ribbon bar Country Honour
Bahrain Member 1st Class of theKhalifiyyeh Order of Bahrain
Benin Grand Officer of theNational Order of Benin
Brunei Member 1st Class of theFamily Order of Laila Utama
Bulgaria Member 1st Class of theOrder of the Balkan Mountains
Burkina Faso Commander of theNational Order of Burkina Faso
Burundi Grand Cross of theNational Order of the Republic of Burundi
Chad Grand Officer of theNational Order of Chad
Comoros Commander of theStar of Anjouan
Central African Republic Grand Cross of theNational Order of Merit of Central African Republic
Djibouti Grand Cordon of theNational Order of the Star of Djibouti
France Commander of theLegion of Honour
Gabon Grand Cross of theNational Order of Meritof Gabon
Gambia Grand Commander of theOrder of the Republic of The Gambia
Ghana Companion of theOrder of the Volta
Guinea Commander of theNational Order of Merit of Guinea
Equatorial Guinea Grand Cross of theOrder of Independence
Jordan Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Star of Jordan
Ivory Coast Grand Cross of theNational Order of the Ivory Coast
Kenya Grand Cordon of theChief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya
Lebanon Grand Officer of theNational Order of the Cedar
Liberia Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Star of Africa
Madagascar Grand Cross of theNational Order of Madagascar
Mauritania Commander of theNational Order of Merit of Mauritania
Maldives Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin
Mali Grand Officer of theNational Order of Mali
Malta Companion of theNational Order of Merit
Monaco Grand Officer of theOrder of Grimaldi
Morocco Grand Cordon of theOrder of Ouissam Alaouite
Netherlands Officer of theOrder of Orange-Nassau
Niger Grand Cordon of theNational Order of Merit of Niger
Palestine Grand Cordon of theOrder of the State of Palestine
Pakistan Second Class ofNishan-e-Pakistan
Philippines Grand Officer ofOrder of Sikatuna
Senegal Grand Officer of theNational Order of the Lion
Sierra Leone Grand Gordon of theOrder of the Republic
South Korea Sungnye Medal of theOrder of Diplomatic Service Merit
Sudan Grand Cordon of the Republic of the Sudan
Syria Member 1st Class of theOrder of the Umayyads
Taiwan Grand Cordon of theOrder of Brilliant Star
Togo Grand Officer of theOrder of Mono
Tunisia Grand Officer of theOrder of the Republic
Tunisia Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Seventh of November
Vietnam Medal of theFriendship Order
Uganda Companion of theMost Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa

Personal life

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His first wife, Dalal, as a child, standing between her fatherKing SaudandJohn F. Kennedy,1962

Al Waleed has been married multiple times.[103]His first marriage was in 1976, at the age of 19.[1]: 34 His first wife was hiscousin,PrincessDalal bint Saud,a daughter ofKing Saud.They have two children (Prince Khaled,[104]born on 21 April 1978 andPrincess Reem,born on 20 June 1982),[1]: 37, 57 [105]and later divorced,[106]in December 1994.[1]: 173 

In 1996, Al Waleed married Princess Iman Sudairi, but the marriage lasted only approximately a year.[1]: 174 After divorcing his second wife, Al Waleed married Kholood Al Anazi,[107][108]in 1999. They were divorced in 2004.[1]: 174, 177 

His fourth wife wasAmeera al-Taweel;after about six years of marriage, they divorced in 2014. In an interview, he said: "Yes, I announce it throughOkaz—Saudi Gazettefor the first time. I have officially separated from Princess Ameera Al-Taweel, but she remains a person that I have all respect for. "[109][110]

Ancestry

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadKhan, Riz (2005).Alwaleed, Businessman Billionaire Prince.New York: HarperCollins. p.19.ISBN9780060850302.
  2. ^Khan, Riz (12 May 2008)."Prince Alwaleed bin Talal".Time.Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2014.Retrieved19 April2014.
  3. ^abKnickmeyer, Ellen,"Saudi prince invests $300M for 3% stake in Twitter"Archived7 January 2012 at theWayback Machine,Zawya Dow Jonesvia affiliateMarket Watch,19 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011
  4. ^"Alwaleed About".Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2014.Retrieved24 May2014.
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