2007, Khalid was appointed governor of Makkah Province by King Abdullah, replacing Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz who died in office. The province includes the Muslim holy city of Makkah and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah. In 2010, he ordered hotels, restaurants, shops and wedding halls in the province to drop all their non-Arabic names and use Arabic only for signboards. As governor, he played a major role in managing the annual Hajj in Makkah. According to leaked diplomatic cables, he visited Beirut in 2009 to meet with Lebanese parliamentarians. In June 2011, Prince Khalid presided at the opening of the Rabigh's expansion of its desalination plant. On 22 December 2013, he was appointed as minister of education, replacing Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud in the post. On 29 January 2015, Prince Khalid was appointed once again the governor of Makkah Province by King Salman. Other roles Prince Khalid is managing director of the King Faisal Foundation a large philanthropic and charitable organisation. The Foundation runs Alfaisal University in Riyadh where Prince Khalid is the chairman of the board of trustees, and also runs Effat University in Jeddah where Prince Khalid is a member of the board of trustees. He is the founder and current president of the organisation Painting and Patronage. In addition, he is a member of Allegiance Council. Prince Khalid is also the president of the Arab Thought Foundation. Influence Prince Khalid is believed to be respected in the family, appreciated for his combination of both modern and traditional sensibilities. In 2010 he was mentioned as a future king when succession in the Al Saud passes on to the grandsons of King Abdulaziz. He was also considered to be among the possible contenders after Prince Nayef's death in June 2012. However, the other sons of King Faisal, Turki bin Faisal and Saud bin Faisal, were said to be regarded unfavourably within the royal family due to their perceived air of intellectual superiority. On the other hand, Prince Khalid might have advantages over brothers as a result of his long-term tenure as governor in that he is well known to the public. Views and alliances Khalid Al Faisal criticized negative coverage of Saudi Arabia by the Western media. He spoke out against misconceptions that characterize Saudi society as backwards and uneducated. During his tenure in Asir province, he was close to then Crown Prince Abdullah.