designated by royal decree in 2013. This meant that he was informally next in line, bypassing several senior princes. In order to make his place in the line of succession permanent and preclude any challenges by any of the dispossessed royals, King Abdullah polled each member of the Allegiance Council individually before announcing Muqrin's new title. Three-quarters of the Council members supported Prince Muqrin's new post. Prince Muqrin's nomination, according to Reuters, gave more assurance to the kingdom's long-term succession process, proving prophetic with the efficient change of power upon the death of King Abdullah and the accession of King Salman on 23 January 2015. Crown Prince Prince Muqrin became Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and first deputy prime minister on 23 January 2015 when King Abdullah died. After a tenure of barely three months, he was relieved of his position as crown prince on 29 April 2015. Personal life Prince Muqrin is married to Abta bint Hamoud Al Rashid. She was president of the Women's Council when Prince Muqrin was Madinah governor. He has 14 children. His daughters are Mudahawi, Sara, Mishail, Abta, Nuf, Lamiya, Jawahir, and Sara. His sons are Fahd, Abdulaziz, Faysal, Turki, Mansour and Bandar. Prince Turki founded a real-estate company in Turkey. He is a pilot and CEO of Rabigh Wings Aviation Academy in Jeddah. Prince Turki is also board member of the Saudi Aviation Club. Muqrin bin Abdulaziz is said to enjoy astronomy, literature and Arabic poetry and has a large library containing thousands of books. Prince Muqrin purchased four real estate properties about 7,700 square meters in Dlebta, Lebanon, following the approval of the cabinet in 2012 and the publishing of the listed sale in the official gazette. Dlebta's residents objected to the deal and filed a complaint with the relevant authorities. Honors Prince Muqrin is the recipient of several decorations, including King Abdulaziz Sash and the Order of Merit from the Egyptian Military Air Force. Ancestry References External links |- |- Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin 1945 births Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Heirs apparent who never acceded Living people Royal Saudi Air Force personnel Muqrin Muqrin Muqrin