Khalid al-Faisal

His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Bin Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, known as Khalid al-Faisal (born in 1940), is Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah al-Mukarramah Province, and Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee. 

He is the ninth governor to assume leadership of the Makkah Region, the first governor to serve in this role twice—separated by his appointment as Minister of Education.

The life of Prince Khalid al-Faisal

Prince Khalid al-Faisal was born in Makkah al-Mukarramah, the third son of King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the third king of Saudi Arabia, and one of his brothers: Prince Saud al-Faisal, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Abdullah al-Faisal, and Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former head of the General Intelligence Service.

He studied the Holy Qur'an and the first and second years of primary school at the Princes' School in al-Ahsa Governorate. He then attended the model school in Taif Governorate until he completed his secondary education and graduated in 1957. His Highness then attended HUN School in New Jersey near New York. He spent 4 years in it. He then attended Princeton Schools and obtained the American Secondary Diploma in 1961. He completed his university education with a bachelor's degree in political and economic sciences from the University of Oxford in 1966.

Career

The first position Prince Khalid al-Faisal held was Director of Youth Welfare in 1967 (currently the Ministry of Sport). After that, he served as Governor of the Emirate of Aseer Province from 1971 to 2007, then Governor of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah from 2007 to 2013. He then served as Minister of Education (currently the Ministry of Education) from 2013 to 2015, and has been Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Province since January 29, 2015, to the present.

The Title of Prince Khalid al-Faisal

Poetically, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal holds the title "Daim Al-Saif." He is a man of letters, a poet, and an artist with literary and developmental works, as well as various poetic and cultural contributions. These include founding the Abha Literary Award, establishing the Arab Thought Foundation, founding Al-Faisal magazine, adopting the Makkah Award, supervising the creation of the Abha Literary Club, contributing to the establishment of the King Faisal Foundation, adopting the Makkah Cultural Forum, and launching the Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Institute for Moderation.

The poetry collections of Prince Khalid al-Faisal

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal is the host of the first literary and cultural forum in Riyadh. He has several poetry collections, including Nabati Poems, The Second Collection, Letter and Color, If Not... Then Who...!!?, The Weight of Speech, and Al-Manqiyyah. He has also authored books such as From and To the Kaaba: Human Building and Spatial Development and The Distance of Development and an Eyewitness.

Positions

Prince Khalid al-Faisal serves as a member of several councils and committees, including:

• Member of the Allegiance Council.
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites.
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Jeddah Development Authority.
• Chairman of the Board of the Makkah Region Development Authority.
• Chief Executive Officer of the King Faisal Foundation.
• Chairman of the King Faisal International Prize Board.
• Founder and President of the Arab Thought Foundation.
• Founder and Chairman of the Tourism Promotion Committee in Aseer Province.
• Founder and Honorary Chairman of the National Tourism Company in Aseer.
• Former Member of the Board of Directors of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development.
• Member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
• Honorary President of the Fes-Saïss Association for Cultural, Social, and Economic Development in Morocco.
• Member of the Ain Zubaydah Reconstruction Project Committee in the Makkah Province.
• Chairman of the Standing Committee for Hajj and Umrah, and Vice Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee.
• Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for Souq Okaz.
• Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for Makkah Al-Mukarramah Youth Forum.
• Chairman of the Tourism Development Council in Makkah Al-Mukarramah Province.
• Member of the Ministerial Committee and Chairman of the Executive Sub-Committee for Flood Damage Mitigation in Jeddah Governorate.
• Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for the Makkah City and Holy Sites Development Authority.
• Member of the Ministerial Committee for the Slum Redevelopment Project in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and Chairman of its Executive Committee.
• Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Development of Taif Governorate.
• Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Studying Encroachments on Undeveloped (White) Lands.
• Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Public Transport Projects in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Jeddah.

Awards and honors

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal has received numerous awards and honors, including:

• Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lisbon, Portugal (2007).
• Leadership Medal from the 4th Gulf Human Resources Management Conference in recognition of his idea initiating the Gulf Cup Tournament in 1970.
• Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar, the highest Lebanese decoration at the time, conferred by the Lebanese Prime Minister on behalf of the President of the Republic (2000).
• Certificate of Honorary Presidency from the Fes-Saïss Association for Cultural, Social, and Economic Development, Morocco (2000).
• Supreme Order of the Renaissance (First Class) from King Abdullah II of Jordan (2000).
• Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in recognition of his idea for the Gulf Cup.
• Grand Cross of the Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Viçosa, presented by the Duke of Braganza.
• Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I, presented by the Duke of Calabria.
• Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, presented by the Prince of Venice.
• His name was placed on a NASA spacecraft launched to Mars (2003).
• Collar of Honor with Gold Emblem from the Arab-Portuguese Institute.
• Order of Intellectual Efficiency from King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
• Cultural Personality of the Year at the Sharjah International Book Fair (2015).
• Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Award for Achievement (2018).
• Fes-Saïss Association Award for Cultural, Social, and Economic Development (2018).
• King Abdulaziz Sash during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz (2019).
• Honored by ICESCO in Rabat for his service to the Arabic language (2020).
• Honored by the Arab World Institute in Paris for his literary and intellectual contributions (2021).
• Honorary Doctorate from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fes (2022).
• Qassim Award for Excellence and Creativity – Exemplary Role Model Category (2023).
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage (2014).
• Commemorative stamp issued by Saudi Post (SPL) in cooperation with the Principality of the Makkah Region honoring his contributions (2025).