Nayef bin Abdulaziz

Nayef bin Abdulaziz was born in Ta'if on 9 October 1934 to King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, making him one of the Sudairi Seven. His full brothers included Fahd and Salman, who would both become kings of Saudi Arabia, and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz (later crown prince of Saudi Arabia). Nayef was the twenty-third son of King Abdulaziz.{{cite news|title=Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ==Early experience==

From 1952 to 1953 Prince Nayef served as vice governor of Riyadh Province. In 1953, he was appointed as the governor of Riyadh province and stayed in this post for one year.{{cite web|title=His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin Abduaziz Al-Saud|work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs|access-date=1 May 2012 ==Minister of Interior==

On 30 March 1975 following King Faisal's assassination, then Minister of Interior Prince Fahd became the crown prince, and Prince Nayef was appointed to the post by King Khalid.{{cite news|author=Juan de Onis|title=Saudi King Names His New Cabinet|work=The New York Times Timeline In March 1980 King Khalid established a constitutional committee with eight members under the presidency of Prince Nayef.{{cite journal Prince Nayef established the General Directorate of Prisons in 2000 as a separate unit within the ministry. In April 2001, he, not foreign minister Saud bin Faisal, went to Iran as Saudi envoy in an unprecedented move. He issued all women in Saudi Arabia identity cards. Women were previously registered under their husband's or father's name in November 2001. After the September 11 attacks, as the man in charge of the Saudi investigation he received US criticism for his continuing to insist that the Saudi hijackers were dupes in a Zionist plot for over a year after 9/11,{{cite news|author=Frank Rich|title=Pearl Harbor Day, 2002 In 2003 Prince Nayef, who was in charge of foreign labor, decreed that foreign workers and their family members should not exceed 20 percent of the Saudi population in 2013.{{cite journal|author=Raphaeli Nimrod|title=Saudi Arabia: A brief guide to its politics and problems|journal=MERIA Between 2003 and 2006 Prince Nayef led Saudi Arabia's confrontation against Al Qaeda, which sponsored a series of domestic attacks on expatriate housing compounds, oil infrastructure, and industrial facilities. His political stance was strengthened because of increased media exposure and the successful end to terrorist attacks.{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51336520100907?pageNumber=1 {{Infobox hrhstyles In March 2011 during the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests 200 people who called for more information on their imprisoned relatives were denied a meeting with Nayef.{{cite news|title=Saudis protest outside Interior Ministry|date=13 March 2011|newspaper=The News Tribune/Associated Press ==Second deputy prime minister==

Since Crown Prince Sultan could not deal with demanding duties due to his extended absences for medical treatment and King Abdullah was about to travel to Doha to attend the League of Arab States Summit before going to London for the G20 summit, it was imperative to leave a senior official in charge, which added burdens to the leukemia-suffering 76-year-old Nayef. Therefore, on 27 March 2009 Prince Nayef was made second deputy prime minister.{{cite news|author=Atul Aneja|title=Prince Nayef elevated|date=30 March 2009|newspaper=The Hindu His appointment as second deputy prime minister expanded Prince Nayef's influence into all corners of Saudi domestic policy and allowed him to participate in the development of foreign policy. He was not expected to interfere in economic matters, but to influence the judiciary. Prince Nayef chaired many cabinet meetings when King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan were away for health reasons. Critics said he was behind the cancellation of the nation's only film festival in the summer of 2009. In November 2010 he undertook all Hajj-related responsibilities.{{cite web|author=Mohsin Khan|title=New Saudi Crown Prince – Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ==Crown Prince and first deputy prime minister==

Prince Nayef was appointed crown prince and first deputy prime minister by King Abdullah on 27 October 2011, five days after the death of Crown Prince Sultan. Influence Prince Nayef's career was propelled by his full-brother King Fahd. Under Fahd, the Ministry of Interior became one of the most influential bureaucracies in Saudi Arabia. Prince Nayef served as a mediator in disputes between King Fahd and Prince Sultan. As King Fahd's health deteriorated, his power gradually diminished as well. In 2003 he "threatened to cancel certain business deals with the French government" if the narcotics investigation of Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Sha'lan continued. ==Various positions==

Prince Nayef served for a time as the supervisor general of the Saudi committee for the Al Quds intifada, which provided aid to Palestinian refugees. He headed the supreme council on information which oversaw the media and regulated the internet in the country. ==Views==

Prince Nayef was considered to be one of the more conservative, but also pragmatic, members of the Al Saud family. In November 2002 Prince Nayef said, "It is impossible that 19 youths carried out the operation of September 11, or that bin Laden or al Qaeda did that alone. ... I think [the Zionists] are behind these events." He later proposed that Americans visiting the Kingdom should be fingerprinted like visitors to the United States. According to leaked cables, Prince Nayef argued for a tougher approach than King Abdullah towards the then Yemeni president Saleh in 2009. His motto was "no to change, yes to development". In a similar vein, in March 2009, he publicly stated that he saw no need for either elections or women in government. ==Personality==

Prince Nayef, before being appointed second deputy prime minister in 2009, was generally described as elusive, ambiguous, pragmatic, unimaginative, shrewd, and outspoken. According to leaked cables, he had a reputation of being anti-Western, but tended to do business if there were shared interests. It is further stated that his conservative approach did not reflect his personal religious personality . However, his conservative views allowed him to gain support from social and religious conservatives. He seemed to be reserved and even a bit shy. He was described as neither well-spoken nor articulate, and had a tendency to repeat platitudes in private as well as in public. He did appear to understand and speak at least some English. On the other hand, Prince Nayef was considered by other princes to be one of the kinder members of his royal generation in his approach towards nephews and nieces. Prince Nayef and his full brother and then-deputy interior minister, Prince Ahmed, were reported to pay massive bonuses to successful security officers. They both also had a reputation for honesty and using the security budget only for the stated purposes, not enriching themselves. ==Personal life==

Prince Nayef married three times. He was the father of ten children. His first wife was Noura Alfarraj Alsubaie who died in August 1994. Jawahir bint Nayef was raised by her aunt Princess Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Saud. Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi was his second spouse. His children from this marriage are Mohammed, Noura, Saud and Sara.{{cite magazine|author=James Reginato In the early 1960s Prince Nayef lived in Loxwood House in the north London suburb of Totteridge.{{cite book|author=Jonathan Aitken|title=Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality|location=London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bc1LAQAAQBAJ|year=2013 ==Illness==

Prince Nayef was said to be suffering from diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis{{cite news|title=The royal house is rattled too Prince Nayef again left Saudi Arabia for medical tests on 26 May 2012. Although it was unknown where Prince Nayef went, Prince Ahmed stated in Al Watan on 3 June 2012 that he was "well and in good health ... and he will soon return to Saudi Arabia". Before his death in June 2012, it was reported that Prince Nayef had gone to Geneva on 26 May 2012 for treatment for a knee ailment.{{cite news|title=Saudi King Abdullah leads funeral for Crown Prince Nayef in Mecca|publisher=Al Arabiya|date=17 June 2012 ==Death and funeral==

On 16 June 2012 at about 1 pm (UTC+3), Saudi state television reported that Crown Prince Nayef had died. According to Reuters, he died in Geneva, Switzerland. It was reported that Crown Prince Nayef's body was brought from Geneva to Jeddah. Funeral prayers were held in the Masjid al-Haram, also known as the Grand Mosque, in Mecca after sunset prayer, led by Sheikh Saud Ash Shuraim. His body was buried in an unmarked grave in Al Adl cemetery in Mecca as per his wish on 17 June 2012. Major political figures sent their condolences to King Abdullah, including US President Barack Obama, French President François Hollande, UK Foreign Minister William Hague, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, and other leaders of Arab and Persian Gulf States.{{cite news|title=Saudi prince buried in holy city ==Legacy==

On 6 July 2012 King Abdullah renamed the Qassim Regional Airport in Buraidah as the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport. ==Honours and awards==

Prince Nayef was the recipient of several honours, including the military Order of the Cloud and Banner by Taiwan (1977), the Legion of Honor by France (1977), the Al Kawkab Decoration by Jordan (1977), the Order of National Security by Republic of Korea (1980), and the National Order of the Cedar by Lebanon (2009). ==Ancestry==