RIYADH, 27 July — Arab and Gulf countries yesterday expressed their shock and grief over the death of Prince Fahd ibn Salman, the eldest son of Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, on Wednesday. Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar sent high-level delegations to the Saudi capital to convey their condolences.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sent his personal envoy Sheikh Naser Muhammad Al-Sabah, minister of the court affairs, to offer his condolences to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, and other members of the royal family.
Sources close to the royal family told Arab News that Prince Fahd died suddenly. Prince Fahd did not show any symptoms of any ailment. He had, however, made an appointment with a dentist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh to check a toothache. The night before, Prince Fahd bade farewell to his two brothers telling them that he would meet them the next day at a luncheon hosted in their honor by Abdul Rahman Al-Samary, his media consultant.
The sources said the prince later fell down following a heart attack and died in the morning. His two sons — Sultan and Ahmad — were at his bedside. “While Samary was organizing the luncheon, he got a call from the palace at 12 noon on Wednesday to cancel the program,” the source said.
Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Sheikh Naser, the personal envoy of Kuwaiti emir, underscored the prominent position enjoyed by Prince Fahd among the Kuwaitis, and prayed to God to bestow His mercy on the late prince.
The Kuwaiti delegation included Sheikh Muhammad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, state minister for foreign affairs, Sheikh Muhammad Sabah Al-Sabah, Sheikh Ali Salem Al-Sabah, adviser at the royal court, Sheikh Fahd Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, and Sheikh Ahmad Fahd Al-Sabah, minister of information.
Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai’s crown prince and defense minister, led his country’s delegation to the funeral while Prince Faisal Al-Hussein of Jordan, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Khalifa Al-Khalifa, interior minister of Bahrain, and Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar led their countries’ delegations.
The late Prince Fahd is remembered by Saudis as a friend of the poor, a humanist to the core and generous to a fault. “It is the poor who will be crying tonight,” said Muhammad Al-Tunisi, editor-in-chief of Al-Eqtisadiah business daily.
“The late prince was generous and spent freely. He spent his money on the poor and would tell them to keep it a secret,” Tunisi said, adding that Prince Fahd donated generously to charitable organizations in the Kingdom.
He said Prince Fahd also supported kidney patients and played an active role in the establishment of the Kidney Patients Charitable Association, which was inaugurated by Riyadh Governor Prince Salman last month. Prince Fahd was the secretary-general of the charity.
Tunisi said the late prince had no enemies, since he was always forgiving and compassionate by nature. “I remember once when a guy came from the Southern Province to meet Prince Fahd in Dammam, when he was the deputy governor of the Eastern Province. It was late at night and Prince Fahd didn’t have cash readily available to help the man. So he gave him the key of his brand new Mercedes and told him: “I hope it will solve your problem in the morning.’”
Saudi journalist Abdul Aziz Al-Hendi said the demise of Prince Fahd was not only a loss for Prince Salman but also to the nation. He recalled the prince’s recent visit to Al-Rumaih, a small township northeast of Riyadh, where he donated substantially to a charitable organization.
Hendi said the late prince used to attend graduation ceremonies at the charitable centers for Qur’an memorization and exhort students to abide by Islamic teachings. Abroad, he donated $40,000 to Muslims of the Maldives — $20,000 for a charitable organization and the balance for an Islamic center.
Muhammad Al-Matroud, president of Arab Handball Association, expressed his shock and grief at the passing away of Prince Fahd. “It is a great loss to the Arab world of sports in general and the handicapped people in particular. They had benefited from his generosity and charitable disposition.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Sultan Al-Shehail, a Saudi businessman, and Muhammad Al-Zaheri, chairman of the Zaheri group.
Egypt’s Voice of Arabs radio yesterday dedicated its “Good Morning, Arabs” program to the late Prince Fahd. The program focused on the prince’s humanitarian and charitable activities. The radio conveyed its condolences to Prince Salman and the royal family.
Okaz newspaper said Saudi Arabia lost one of its outstanding symbols of charitable activities following the demise of Prince Fahd. Salem ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Suwainie, a close associate of Prince Fahd, said they became friends in the United States where the prince pursued his higher education. “The news of the death was like a thunderbolt to me,” Suwainie said.
People of the Eastern Province were immersed in grief and sorrow following Prince Fahd’s death as they knew about his commendable qualities. Khaled Al-Ateeshan, undersecretary at the Jizan governorate, told Arab News that the death of Prince Fahd was a big loss for Saudi society.
The late Prince Fahd has been a supporter of the GCC Polo Cup right from the beginning, the organizer of the event Basil Al Ghalayini said. “He attended the event three times in 1999, 2000 (with his father), and this year as our guest of honor. His company Eirad was the lead sponsor. When I approached him to co-sponsor, he immediately instructed his staff to process the papers for the sponsorship,” he said.
On June 30 and during the VIP lunch, he asked me to take him around the marquee to shake hands with every guest. A gesture which was highly appreciated by all. After the game, he had a very casual and informal chat with Prince Charles where the latter thanked him for his continued support to the Princess Trust charity.
Prince Fahd strongly supported the GCC Polo Cup and was ready to help needy charities, bridge ties between the UK and Kingdom, and to promote the game of polo in the country. His father Prince Salman, as well as his brother Sultan, have encouraged the idea of setting up Saudi polo facilities and forming a national team.
The late Prince Fahd was looking forward to seeing the Prince of Wales playing on the Saudi soil during the next planned Cup in February next year.
