Personal Life
King Faisal married four times. Three of his spouses were from powerful families; Sudairi, Al Jiluwi and Al Thunayan.
His first wife who was the mother of his eldest son Prince Abdullah was Sultana bint Ahmed al Sudairi. She was from the Sudairi family and a sister of Hassa bint Ahmed who was the mother of the Sudairi brothers.
His second wife was Al Jawhara bint Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Al Kabir and they had a daughter, Munira. She was the daughter of his aunt, Nuora bint Abdul Rahman. They married in October 1935.
His third wife who is the mother of Prince Khalid was Haya bint Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Turki, a member of the Al Jiluwi clan.
His last and most prominent wife was Iffat Al-Thuniyyan. She was raised in Turkey and was a descendant of the Al Saud family who were taken to Istanbul or Cairo by Egyptian forces in 1818 (see First Saudi State). Iffat is credited with being the influence behind many of her late husband's reforms, particularly with regards to women.
Faisal's sons received exceptional education compared to other princes born to Saudi monarchs. Prince Turki received formal education at prestigious schools in New Jersey, and later attended Georgetown University, while Prince Saud is an alumnus of Princeton University. King Faisal's sons have held and continue to hold important positions within the Saudi government. His eldest son Prince Abdullah was born in 1922 and held some governmental positions for a while. Prince Khalid was the governor of Asir Province in southwestern Saudi Arabia for more than three decades before becoming governor of Makkah Province in 2007. Prince Saud has been the Saudi foreign minister since 1975. Prince Turki served as head of Saudi intelligence, ambassador to the United Kingdom, and later ambassador to the United States.
King Faisal's daughter, Haifa bint Faisal, is married to Bandar bin Sultan. He had been all but disowned by his father Prince Sultan at the time due to his perceived inferior lineage. King Faisal, however, forced Prince Sultan to recognize Bandar as a legitimate prince by giving Prince Bandar his own daughter's hand in marriage. Another daughter, Lolowah bint Faisal is a prominent activist for women's education in Saudi Arabia. In 1962, his daughter Princess Sara founded one of the first charitable organizations, Nahda, which recently won the first Chaillot prize for human rights organisations in the Gulf. Princess Sara is married to Muhammed bin Saud. One of his daughters and Prince Khalid's full sister, Princess Mishail, died at the age of 72 in October 2011.
After his death, Faisal's family established the King Faisal Foundation, a philanthropic organisation.
King Faisal was a Grateful Dead fan and was eulogized by lyricist Robert Hunter in the title track of the 1975 Blues for Allah album.
Read more about this topic: Faisal Of Saudi Arabia
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