30 Inspiring Facts Everybody Should Know About Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud

19 December 2018, 9:46 am EST By Ruby Karnick

Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, colloquially known as MbS, is currently the Deputy Prime Minister of the country. While his social and economic liberalization of Saudi Arabia, was internationally praised, human rights groups and commentators have been critical of his leadership. Here are some interesting facts about the crown prince:

Apart from being the Deputy Prime Minister, he is also serving the country of Saudi Arabia as the chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, and chairman of the Council of Political and Security Affairs.
He is also the Minister of Defence, holding the record of being the world's youngest at the time of his appointment.
The crown prince is described to the "Power behind the throne of his father, the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, King Salman."
His style of ruling the country has been described as authoritarian by the deceased Jamal Khashoggi, the then-general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel and Theodor Winkler.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud was born on 31 August 1985, to King Salman, and his third spouse Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan bin Hathleen. His maternal great-grandfather is Rakan bin Hithalayn, who was the head of the Al Ajman tribe.
He holds a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University. Following his graduation, he worked in private sector for several years, before joining his father.
It was at the age of 24 that the crown prince, entered politics as a special advisor to his father, who was then the governor of Riyadh Province, under King Abdulaziz.
His ideology, described as nationalist and populist, with a liberal stance on economic and social issues, is said to have been heavily influenced by the views of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
In the year 2011, the then Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz died. In June 2012, Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud died and Prince Muhammad bin Salman moved up into the number two position in the hierarchy, while his father became the new crown prince and first deputy prime minister.
On January 23, 2015, King Abdullah died, Salman took the throne and Prince Mohammed bin Salman was appointed Minister of Defense, and was also named as the Secretary General of the Royal Court on the same date.

In April 2015, Prince Mohammed bin Salman was given control over Saudi Aramco by royal decree following his appointment as deputy crown prince.
Mohammed bin Salman’s first move as minister was to mobilize a pan-GCC coalition to intervene following a series of suicide bombings in Sanaa via air strikes against Houthis, and impose a naval blockade.
A few of his successful reforms include the removal of ban on female drivers and also the regulations restricting the powers of religious police.
It is in his reign, following his reforms that the first Saudi public concerts by a female singer was held in the first Saudi Sports stadium to admit women. This also led to an increase in women workforce in the country.
In May 2017, Mohammed bin Salman publicly warned "I confirm to you, no one will survive in a corruption case—whoever he is, even if he's a prince or a minister." Following this was the arrest of the Saudi prince and billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal, on November 4, 2017, along with over 40 princes and government ministers at the behest of the Crown Prince on corruption and money laundering charges.
With his Vision 2030 program, he plans to diversify Saudi economy with investments in fields like Technology and Tourism, rather than just oil sectors.
In the year 2015, Prince Mohammed attended a meeting between King Salman and U.S. President Barack Obama, in which the crown prince is said to have broken the protocol to deliver a monologue criticizing U.S. foreign policy.
In April 2018 the first public cinema opened in Saudi Arabia after a ban of 35 years, with plans to have more than 2,000 screens running by 2030.
In October 2017, bin Salman announced plans for the creation of Neom, a $500 billion economic zone to cover an area of 26,000 square kilometers on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, with the aim to attract investment in sectors including renewable energy, biotechnology, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
Mohammed bin Salman was appointed as the Crown Prince on June 21, 2017, following his father's decision to depose Muhammad bin Nayef, making him heir presumptive to the throne.

It was reported that on the day, U.S. President Donald Trump called Mohammed bin Salman to "congratulate him on his recent elevation" and the duo pledged a "close cooperation" on security and economic issues.
In 2015, he purchased the Italian-built and Bermuda-registered yacht Serene from Russian vodka tycoon Yuri Shefler for €500 million. The same year, he was also reported to have purchased the Chateau Louis XIV in France for over $300 million.
In November 2017, the crown prince announced that Saudi Arabia would start issuing tourist visas for foreigners, beginning in 2018, as an effort to boost tourism industry.
In April 2017, the crown prince announced the project of the World's largest cultural, sports and entertainment cities in Al Qidiya, southwest of Riyadh, a 334-square kilometer city include a safari and a Six Flags theme park.
In the year 2018, the crown prince voiced his support for a Jewish homeland. This is the first time that a senior Saudi royal has expressed such sentiments publicly.
As of March 2018, mothers in Saudi Arabia became authorized to retain immediate custody of their children after divorce without having to file any lawsuits.
In the last week of September 2018, Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated the much-awaited $6.7 billion high-speed railway line connecting Mecca and Medina, two holiest cities of Islam, and the commercial operations of the railway began on 11 October 2018.
Prince Mohammed is considered the architect of the war in Yemen. The civil war that led to serious case of famine in Yemen, had more than 50,000 children died from starvation in 2017. The famine is said to be the direct result of the Saudi-led intervention and blockade of the rebel-held area.
The Crown Prince announced the project to build Saudi Arabia’s first nuclear reactor in November 2018, along with the aim to build 16 more nuclear facilities over the next 20 years.
Mohammed bin Salman is the chairman of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, otherwise known as MiSK, which focuses on empowering and enabling the younger generation, with the goals of Vision 2030.