Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ({{langx|ar|نايف بن عبد العزيز آل سعود}}, Nāyif ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd; 9 October 1934 – 16 June 2012) was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and deputy prime minister from October 2011 and the minister of interior from October 1975 until his death in June 2012.

Early life and education

Nayef bin Abdulaziz was born in Ta'if on 9 October 1934{{cite web|title=The Council of Ministers|url=http://www.saudia-online.com/Government%20Council%20of%20Ministers.htm|work=Saudia Online|access-date=8 September 2012}} 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

|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/9337589/Crown-Prince-Nayef-bin-Abdul-Aziz-al-Saud.html|access-date=24 June 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=17 June 2012}}{{cite news|author=David Roberts|title=The Death of Crown Prince Nayef, What Next?|work=MidEast Posts|date=17 June 2012|url=http://mideastposts.com/region/gcc/saudi-arabia/the-death-of-crown-prince-nayef-what-next/|access-date=11 April 2013}} Prince Nayef received education at Princes' School and from senior ulema (Muslim religious scholars). Additionally, he was educated in diplomacy and security affairs.{{cite news|title=Profile: Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|access-date=5 June 2012

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15500679|work=BBC|date=31 October 2011}}

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{{cite news|title=The Political Leadership – King Fahd|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SAUDI+ARABIA+-+The+Political+Leadership+-+King+Fahd.-a057816188|access-date=16 March 2013|work=APS Review Gas Market Trends|date=29 November 1999}} 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

|url=http://www.mofa.gov.sa/SITES/MOFAEN/ABOUTKINGDOM/SAUDIGOVERNMENT/SAUDILEADERSHIP/Pages/LeaderShip234437.aspx}} He then served as governor of the Medina Region. In 1970 King Faisal appointed him as both deputy interior minister and minister of state for internal affairs.{{cite web|author=Joseph A. Kéchichian|title=Refining the Saudi 'Will to Power'|date=June 2009

|url=http://www.mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/MEI-Perspectives-003.pdf|work=NUS Middle East Institute|access-date=27 April 2012

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728075658/http://www.mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/MEI-Perspectives-003.pdf|archive-date=28 July 2013|url-status=dead}}

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

|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/120606813|access-date=29 June 2020|date=30 March 1975|id={{ProQuest|120606813}}}}{{cite web|title=Chapter 2: The Ministry of Interior (Part 1)|access-date=6 May 2021|url=https://www.adhrb.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015.04.24_MSSCh.2_The-MOI-Pt.-1.pdf|publisher=Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain}}

=Timeline=

In March 1980 King Khalid established a constitutional committee with eight members under the presidency of Prince Nayef.{{cite journal

|doi=10.1163/1568519982599490}} However, the committee could not manage to produce the basic law that had been promised.{{cite journal

|issue=4|jstor=4328744|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4328744}} From 1992 Prince Nayef's influence increased over provincial governors through the Law of Provinces. In December 1994, he ordered hundreds of terrorism-related arrests with the support of Prince Turki, head of Saudi intelligence services.

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

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/07/opinion/pearl-harbor-day-2002.html|access-date=17 May 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=7 December 2002

|quote=... spokesman for our ally Saudi Arabia who on Tuesday declared that his country was the victim of unwarranted American intolerance bordering on hate. ... the Saudi minister of the interior, Prince Nayef, maintained as recently as last week that the 15 Saudi hijackers of 9/11 were dupes in a Zionist plot.}} and for not undertaking sufficient action against extremists.{{cite news|title=Who's who: Senior Saudis

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7068977.stm|work=BBC|date=30 October 2007}}

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

|date=September 2003|volume=7|issue=3|url=http://www.mafhoum.com/press6/162P53.htm}} Senator Charles Schumer lobbied through Prince Bandar to remove Prince Nayef as minister of interior in July 2003.{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Timothy L. O'Brien|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/01/us/senators-push-saudi-arabia-to-improve-antiterrorism-efforts.html?ref=nayef|title=Senators Push Saudi Arabia to Improve Antiterrorism Efforts|date=1 August 2003}}

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

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204303/http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-51336520100907?pageNumber=1

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=3 March 2016

|work=Reuters|title=FACTBOX – Prince Nayef one of most powerful Saudi princes|date=7 September 2010}}

{{Infobox hrhstyles

|royal name = Crown Prince Nayef

|image = 70px

|dipstyle = His Royal Highness

|offstyle = Your Royal Highness

|altstyle = }}

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

|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/13/1582849/saudis-organize-outside-interior.html|access-date=17 March 2011|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5xG836rzV?url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/13/1582849/saudis-organize-outside-interior.html|archive-date=17 March 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

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.{{cite news|author=F. Gregory Gause|title=On Prince Nayef and the Succession: Nobody Knows What It Means|work=Foreign Policy|date=30 March 2009|access-date=12 April 2013|url=http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/30/gause_on_prince_nayef_and_the_succession|archive-date=20 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320001018/http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/30/gause_on_prince_nayef_and_the_succession|url-status=dead}} 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

|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/30/stories/2009033055321600.htm|access-date=2 February 2013|location=Dubai|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403131600/http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/30/stories/2009033055321600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 April 2009}}{{cite journal|title=Farewell to our Prince|journal=The Diplomat|date=July–August 2012|volume=35|pages=12–15|url=http://www.ids.gov.sa/sites/ar/Diplomat/Book%20Diplomat%2035.pdf|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=24 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024162851/http://www.ids.gov.sa/sites/ar/Diplomat/Book%20Diplomat%2035.pdf|url-status=dead}} His appointment caused a public split in the royal family. Prince Talal asked the King to clarify that the appointment did not necessarily mean that Nayef would become crown prince.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/5071865/Hardline-Prince-moves-closer-to-Saudi-Arabias-throne.html

|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|author=Richard Spencer|title=Hardline Prince moves closer to Saudi Arabia's throne|date=29 March 2009}}

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

|url=http://www.diplomaticcircle.com/December11_Articles/prince_nayef.php|work=Diplomatic Circle|access-date=26 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531144537/http://www.diplomaticcircle.com/December11_Articles/prince_nayef.php|archive-date=31 May 2014|url-status=dead}} In some government offices, his picture was added next to King Abdulaziz, King Abdullah, and Crown Prince Sultan.

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.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/22/prince-sultan-death-nayef-saudiarabia|newspaper=The Guardian

|author=Tracy McVeigh|title=Prince Sultan's death fuels debate about who will succeed to the Saudi throne|date=23 October 2011}} Shortly thereafter he vowed that Saudi Arabia would "never sway from and never compromise on" its adherence to Wahhabi doctrine which he stated was "the source of the kingdom's pride, success and progress."{{cite news|title=Saudi Crown Prince Nayef, next in line to throne, dies|newspaper=Haaretz

|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/saudi-crown-prince-nayef-next-in-line-to-throne-dies-1.436744|access-date=17 May 2014

|agency=Associated Press|date=16 June 2012|quote=Soon after becoming crown prince, Nayef vowed at a conference of clerics that Saudi Arabia would "never sway from and never compromise on" its adherence to the puritanical, ultraconservative Wahhabi doctrine. The ideology, he proclaimed "is the source of the kingdom's pride, success and progress."}}

During his time as crown prince, Nayef brought about modernizations such as "removing religious authorities who objected to the mingling of men and women in public spaces."{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303734204577470241545061170|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|author=Ellen Knickmeyer|title=Saudi Arabia's Enforcer of Internal Security|date=16 June 2012}}

=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.{{cite news|title=Secrets of the Saudi Royal Family|work=ABC News|date=15 October 2004

|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/News/story?id=169246&page=1|access-date=16 July 2012|author=Brian Ross|author2=Jill Rackmill}}

When meeting with US diplomats in 2009 Prince Nayef voiced support for aggressive activity against Iran after what he believed was a breach of the 2001 security agreement. He urged European nations to turn in suspected terrorists and asked for US intercession. He said the most effective way to combat extremism was through Friday sermons.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

As Crown Prince, Nayef was the most influential of the Sudairi Seven. He delegated the day-to-day responsibilities of his ministry to his son, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and then-deputy minister Prince Ahmed. Prince Nayef had members of the ministry of interior placed in all overseas embassies.[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/gulf/sudairi.htm Al Sudairi Clan]. Global Security. Retrieved 13 October 2011.

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. He also chaired the supreme committee on the Hajj and headed the ministerial committee on morality and the ministerial oversight committee on the World Trade Organization.[https://web.archive.org/web/20021218090318/http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/002/018fdsio.asp Who is Prince Nayef?]. The Weekly Standard (23 December 2002). Retrieved 13 October 2011.

Views

Prince Nayef was considered to be one of the more conservative, but also pragmatic, members of the Al Saud family. He viewed the potential erosion of the official Wahhabi-Salafi doctrine as a diminishing of the core legitimacy of the state itself and resisted such moves, not from a pronounced sense of religious devotion, but rather a desire to maintain a firm grip on the levers of state power.{{cite web|title=Strong Foundations? The Imperative for Reform in Saudi Arabia|url=http://edoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/HALCoRe_derivate_00003652/Strong%20Foundations.pdf|work=FRIDE (Spanish Think-tank organization)|access-date=15 April 2012|author=Ana Echagüe|author2=Edward Burke|pages=1–23|date=June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194738/http://edoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/HALCoRe_derivate_00003652/Strong%20Foundations.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}[http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/12/religion/islam/kingdom-of-saudi-arabia-will-continue-to-follow-salafist-ideology-prince-naif Kingdom of saudi will continue to follow Salafi ideology] The Muslim Times. December 2011.

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."[http://www.nysun.com/national/arab-press-says-jews-perpetrated-9-11-attacks/38781/ Arab Press Says Jews Perpetrated 9/11 Attacks]. The New York Sun. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2011. He later proposed that Americans visiting the Kingdom should be fingerprinted like visitors to the United States.Simon Henderson [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3038 Desert Schism: Prince Nayef Bids for Saudi Thro"1ne]. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 31 March 2009

According to leaked cables, Prince Nayef argued for a tougher approach than King Abdullah towards the then Yemeni president Saleh in 2009.[http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/10276 Yemeni Tribal Leader: For Saleh, Saudi Involvement In Sa'Ada Comes Not A Moment Too Soon| الأخبار]. Al Akhbar. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2011.

His motto was "no to change, yes to development". He believed that no change is necessary in Saudi Arabia: “Change means changing something that already exists. Whatever exists in the Kingdom is already well-established; however, there is a scope for development – development that does not clash with the principles of the nation”.{{cite web |author=Wurm |first=Iris |year=2008 |title=In Doubt for the Monarchy. Autocratic Modernization in Saudi-Arabia |url=https://d-nb.info/1191909905/34 |access-date=15 April 2012 |work=Peace Research Institute Frankfurt}} In a similar vein, in March 2009, he publicly stated that he saw no need for either elections or women in government.

After visiting Cleveland for planned health-tests in March 2012, Prince Nayef addressed the controversy over the participation of Saudi women athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from his residence in Algeria. Al Hayat reported that for him women can represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics as long as they do not break Islamic laws. His approval was conditioned on women competing in sports that "meet the standards of women's decency and don't contradict Islamic laws", though even this concession seemed surprising. However, only a few days later, his statement led to other statements by Saudi officials. At a press conference in Jeddah, the head of the Saudi Olympic Committee, Nawwaf bin Faisal, explicitly stated that Saudi women athletes would not be sent to the Olympics: "We are not endorsing any Saudi female participation at the moment in the Olympics or other international championships." He further added that Saudi women taking part on their own are free to do so, and the Kingdom's Olympic authority would "help in ensuring that their participation does not violate the Islamic shari'a law." Though he did emphasize that this was in accordance with a previously stated position, it did seem a rebuff to Crown Prince Nayef.{{cite web|author=Talal Kapoor|title=Nayif's Return – A Lame Duck Crown Prince|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/viewCommentary.do?id=79251&pageNum=2|date=11 April 2012|work=Datarabia|access-date=12 April 2012}}

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.{{cite web|title=All eyes on Nayef's strategy|url=http://www.bridgingthegulf.org/en/news/news/All_eyes_on_Nayef_s_strategy.html?id=127|work=Bridging the Gulf|access-date=29 April 2012|date=21 November 2011|archive-date=28 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728082441/http://www.bridgingthegulf.org/en/news/news/All_eyes_on_Nayef_s_strategy.html?id=127}}

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.{{cite web|title=Saudi internal security: A risk assessment|url=http://www.mafhoum.com/press7/197P8.pdf|work=Center for Strategic and International Studies|access-date=8 April 2012|author=Anthony H. Cordesman|author2=Nawaf Obaid|date=30 May 2004}}

Personal life

Prince Nayef married three times. He was the father of ten children.{{cite book|author=Stig Stenslie|title=Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia: The Challenge of Succession|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-g81rF4Zga4C&pg=PA39|date=21 August 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-51157-8|page=39}}

His first wife was Noura Alfarraj Alsubaie who died in August 1994. His child from this marriage is Jawahir, wife of King Fahd's son, Mohammed bin Fahd, who is former governor of Eastern Province.{{cite magazine|title=Saudi Arabia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djbsbTJpjDIC&pg=PP34|year=2002|page=34|magazine=The Monthly Newsletter of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia}} Jawahir bint Nayef was raised by her aunt Princess Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Saud.{{cite book|author=Sabri Sharaf|title=The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51Bb8Ix7xw8C&pg=PA137|location=New Delhi|year=2001|publisher=I.S. Publications|isbn=978-81-901254-0-6|page=137}}

Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaid Al Jiluwi was his second spouse.{{cite news|author=Nouf Rakan|title=Saks Supports Women's Center|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/250224|access-date=12 August 2012|newspaper=Arab News|date=28 May 2004}} His children from this marriage are Mohammed, Noura, Saud and Sara.

His third wife was Maha bint Mohammed Al Sudairi. They later divorced. They had five children: Nouf, Nawwaf, Mishail (born 1986), Hayfa and Fahd.{{cite news|author=Caryle Murphy|title=The heir apparent|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/saudi-arabia/090504/Prince-Nayef-Abdul-Aziz|access-date=5 May 2012|work=Global Post|date=5 June 2009}}{{cite magazine|author=James Reginato

|title=The Saudi Princess and the Multi-Million Dollar Shopping Spree|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2015/04/saudi-princess-maha-paris-shopping-scandal|access-date=6 August 2020|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=2 April 2015}} His daughter, Nouf bint Nayef (born 1984),{{cite web|title=Nouf bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/vvOPkaVS3n1yMV-Cs6ScXqRLNXM/appointments|work=Companies House|access-date=10 October 2020}} is the wife of Mohammed bin Abdullah, one of King Abdullah's sons.{{cite news|author=Brandi Buchman|title=Nanny to Saudi Royals Claims They Forced Her into Slavery|access-date=6 September 2020

|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/nanny-to-saudi-royals-claims-they-forced-her-into-slavery/|work=Courthouse News Service|date=27 February 2018|location=Alexandria, Virginia}} Nawwaf bin Nayef was arrested in March 2020 along with his half-brother Muhammad bin Nayef and his uncle Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.{{cite news|author=Alasdair Sandford|title=Saudi Arabia: three senior royals 'detained' in latest clampdown|work=Euronews

|url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/07/saudi-arabia-three-senior-royals-detained-in-latest-clampdown|access-date=9 August 2020|agency=AP

|date=7 March 2020}}

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

|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=978-1-4088-3184-7|page=103}} He donated £1,000 ({{Inflation|UK|1000|1964|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) to his local member for parliament, Margaret Thatcher, when she was canvassing during the 1964 United Kingdom general election.

Illness

Prince Nayef was said to be suffering from diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis{{cite news|title=The royal house is rattled too

|url=http://www.economist.com/node/18291511|date=3 March 2011|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=18 October 2011}} as well as leukemia. In March 2012, he went to Morocco for a "private vacation",{{cite web|title=Crown Prince leaves Riyadh on private vacation

|access-date=27 March 2012|date=3 March 2012

|url=http://www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOJNnQOcPS18jQ3dA0LNDYzczE28nM28LQy8TYAKIoEKDHAARwNC-oNT8_TD9aPwKjMxhipwdnf0MDH3MTCw8HE3NfB09AgNsgw0NjZwhCnA4w4_j_zcVP2C3IgKzywTRQA0KNqq/dl4/d5/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SmtFL1o2X0dOVlMzR0gzMTBGSUUwSVFJSkozR1YzQ0w2/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/main/moi+home+content/home/news/news+archive/moi_news_03-03-2012c_en|work=Ministry of Interior}} then to Cleveland for pre-planned medical tests. This news raised some speculation about his health and Saudi succession.{{cite news|title=Crown Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Arrives in Morocco|url=http://www.gulfinthemedia.com/index.php?m=gcc_press&id=2387525&cnt=171&lang=en|access-date=16 March 2012|work=Gulf in the Media|date=2 March 2012}} He returned to Saudi Arabia after staying in Algeria in April 2012.{{cite news|title=Saudi crown prince in 'good health'|work=Agence France-Presse|date=3 June 2012

|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iw--d-sf-Yb-R_nLiteHEkrGHWsg?docId=CNG.fb66c40b353511ec1547eeb87d480453.2c1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124144610/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iw--d-sf-Yb-R_nLiteHEkrGHWsg?docId=CNG.fb66c40b353511ec1547eeb87d480453.2c1|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 January 2013|access-date=3 June 2012}}

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

|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/06/17/221127.html|access-date=17 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617125718/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/06/17/221127.html|archive-date=17 June 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|author=Talal Kapoor|title=Nayif's Passing – The Family Regroups|work=Datarabia|access-date=7 July 2012|url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/viewCommentary.do?id=88025|date=2 July 2012}}

Death and funeral

On 16 June 2012 at about 1 pm (UTC+3), Saudi state television reported that Crown Prince Nayef had died.{{cite news|author=Angus McDowall|title=Saudi Prince Nayef, next in line to throne, dies|work=Reuters|location=Riyadh|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-crownprince-idUSWEA438520120616|access-date=20 June 2012|date=16 June 2012}} According to Reuters, he died in Geneva, Switzerland.{{cite news|title=Saudi Crown Prince Nayef, next in line to throne, dies|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-crownprince-idUSBRE85F05Z20120616

|access-date=16 June 2012|work=Reuters|date=16 June 2012}} A medical source in Geneva said that Nayef died of "cardiac problems" while staying at his brother's residence there. His body was kept at the Geneva Mosque before being taken to Jeddah.

The royal court stated that his funeral would be held on 17 June 2012.{{cite news|title=Funeral prayers for Saudi heir-apparent to be held Sunday|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-crownprince-burial-idUSBRE85F06A20120616|access-date=16 June 2012|work=Reuters|date=16 June 2012}} It was reported that Crown Prince Nayef's body was brought from Geneva to Jeddah.{{cite news|author=Angus McDowall|title=Saudi king to bury Crown Prince, find successor|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-crownprince-idUSBRE85F05Z20120617|access-date=17 June 2012|work=Reuters|date=17 June 2012}} 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.{{cite news|title=World leaders express grief as Crown Prince Naif laid to rest|url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120618127306|access-date=16 July 2012|newspaper=Saudi Gazette|date=18 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728080000/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120618127306|archive-date=28 July 2013|df=dmy-all}} His body was buried in an unmarked grave in Al Adl cemetery in Mecca as per his wish on 17 June 2012.{{cite news|title=Salman likely to be new Saudi heir as Nayef buried|url=http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-front-top-news/62666-salman-likely-to-be-new-saudi-heir-as-nayef-buried.html|access-date=17 June 2012|work=Business Recorder|date=17 June 2012}}{{cite journal|title=Al Saud move with speed to reconfigure top team after Nayef's death|journal=Gulf States Newsletter|date=21 June 2012|volume=36|issue=926|url=http://www.gsn-online.com/sites/default/files/GSN%20926.pdf|access-date=23 February 2013|archive-date=18 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018050815/http://www.gsn-online.com/sites/default/files/GSN%20926.pdf|url-status=dead}}

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

|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/saudi-prince-buried-in-holy-city/story-fn6s850w-1226398188847|access-date=17 June 2012|newspaper=Herald Sun|date=17 June 2012|agency=Agence France-Presse}}

Legacy

On 6 July 2012 King Abdullah renamed the Qassim Regional Airport in Buraidah as the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport.{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia: Qassim Regional Airport Named After Prince Nayef|url=http://www.eurasiareview.com/06072012-saudi-arabia-qassim-regional-airport-named-after-prince-naif/|access-date=6 July 2012|work=Eurasia Review|date=6 July 2012|agency=Arab News}}

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). In addition, he was awarded the followings;{{cite web|title=Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/NayefbinAbdulaziz.aspx|work=Saudi Embassy

|access-date=20 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906232734/http://saudiembassy.net/about/NayefbinAbdulaziz.aspx|archive-date=6 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}

50px Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (First Class)
50px Order of the Liberator by Venezuela (1977)

Posthumously Prince Nayef was honoured by the United Nations with the Outstanding Donor Award for the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People on 28 June 2013.{{cite news|title=Saudi Crown Prince Nayef honoured for work with UN agency on Palestinian projects|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45303&Cr=Palestin&Cr1=Saudi|access-date=17 July 2013|work=UN News Centre|date=28 June 2013}}{{cite news|title=Late Prince Naif 1st Global Personality To Receive UN Award of Excellent Donor|newspaper=Al Riyadh|date=30 June 2013|url=http://www.alriyadh.com/en/article/848304/late-prince-naif-1st-global-personality-to-receive-un-award-of-excellent-donor|access-date=19 July 2013|agency=SPA|location=New York}}