Saudi King Salman's elder brother Prince Bandar dies at 96
Saudi King Salman's elder brother Prince Bandar dies at 96
Prince Bandar ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, the oldest living son of Saudi Arabia's founding King Abdulaziz, died on Sunday at the age of 96.
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Bandar ibn Abdulaziz was the eldest son of Saudi Arabia's founding monarch [Twitter]
King Salman of Saudi Arabia's elder half-brother, Prince Bandar ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, has died at the age of 96, the Saudi royal court said late Sunday.
"His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz al-Saud passed away," the royal court said Sunday in a brief statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
"A funeral prayer will be performed for his soul... on Monday... at the Grand Mosque in Mecca."
Bandar was the 10th of the 36 sons of Saudi Arabia's founding monarch, Abdulaziz ibn Abdulrahman Al Saud, and the oldest one still alive.
The royal court did not elaborate on the cause of his death, but some local media said he had been ill for several years.
He was not an actively political royal within the ruling Al Saud family and had been passed over in the line of succession to the throne.
Prince Bandar's sons, however, hold important posts: Prince Faisal bin Bandar is governor of Riyadh; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar heads the National Guard; and Prince Khalid bin Bandar serves as an adviser to King Salman.
His death comes as King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, consolidates his grip on power.
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