RIYADH, 24 July — In a double-tragedy for the Saudi royal family, a prince, who hurried back here yesterday for the funeral of a beloved cousin, ended up being buried with his relative after a fatal crash on the long road journey from Jeddah, his family said.
Prince Sultan ibn Faisal ibn Turki, 41, was in Jeddah when he was informed of the death on Monday of his cousin Prince Ahmad, 44, son of Riyadh Governor Prince Salman and chairman of Saudi Research & Marketing Group, the family said.
Prince Sultan decided to make the 1,000- km (625 mile) road journey back to the capital to be sure of arriving on time for the funeral — which in accordance with Muslim tradition was scheduled swiftly after the prince’s premature death — but was killed in a crash on the way.
A nephew of King Fahd, custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and chairman of the board of directors of Saudi Research and Marketing Group, publishers of the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab News and other publications, Prince Ahmad was a close friend of his younger cousin, relatives said.
Joint funeral prayers were held for the princes at the Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. Prince Ahmad and Prince Sultan were later buried side by side at Al-Oudh graveyard in the capital.
Prince Sultan, a businessman, died in a car accident near Riyadh, according to security officials.
A close family friend, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the accident occurred before dawn as the prince was driving from Jeddah, where he was on holiday, to Riyadh.
Prince Sultan, an ex-military pilot who owned the Lulu health care-related business, died at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where his 44-year-old cousin had died on Monday. Prince Sultan was a graduate of King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh.
