Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal

Al-Waleed bin Talal
Born	Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 7 3, 1955
Birthplace	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nationality	Saudi
Occupation	Businessman, investor, prince
Known for	International investment portfolio; founder of Kingdom Holding Company
Education	Master's degree in Social Science, Syracuse University

Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian businessman, investor, and member of the Saudi royal family. A grandson of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and the son of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Al-Waleed has built one of the largest personal investment portfolios in the world through his company, Kingdom Holding Company. His investments have spanned banking, hospitality, media, entertainment, and technology sectors across multiple continents, including significant stakes in companies such as Citigroup, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Twitter (now X), and Snap Inc. Over the decades, he has been one of the most prominent figures in global finance and among the most internationally recognized members of the House of Saud. His career has been marked by both periods of extraordinary wealth accumulation and by the political complexities of operating within the Saudi Arabian power structure, including his detention during the 2017 Saudi anti-corruption purge. Al-Waleed is the founder of the Alwaleed Philanthropies (formerly the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation), through which he has directed charitable funds toward humanitarian and educational causes. He maintains an active investment strategy that continues to evolve with the technology sector, as evidenced by his ongoing stake increases in social media companies.

Early Life

Al-Waleed bin Talal was born on 7 March 1955 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is a member of the House of Saud, the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. His father, Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was one of the sons of King Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud (commonly known as Ibn Saud), who founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. His mother, Mona El-Solh, was the daughter of Riad al-Solh, the first Prime Minister of Lebanon following its independence from France.

Al-Waleed's parentage thus placed him at the intersection of two prominent political families in the Arab world — Saudi royalty on his father's side and Lebanese political aristocracy on his mother's side. His parents divorced when he was young, and he spent portions of his childhood in both Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. His father, Prince Talal, was known as one of the more reform-minded members of the Saudi royal family and was sometimes referred to as the "Red Prince" for his advocacy of constitutional monarchy in the early 1960s, a stance that led to a period of self-imposed exile.

Growing up within the royal family, Al-Waleed was exposed to the worlds of politics and business from an early age. Despite his royal lineage, his branch of the family was not among the most politically powerful within the House of Saud, which may have contributed to his decision to pursue a career in business and finance rather than in government or the military, paths more commonly taken by senior Saudi princes.

Education

Al-Waleed bin Talal pursued his higher education in the United States. He attended Menlo College in Atherton, California, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He subsequently attended Syracuse University in New York, where he obtained a Master's degree in Social Science. His time in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s provided him with exposure to American business culture and financial markets, experiences that would prove formative for his later career as an international investor. He has credited his American education with helping to shape his investment philosophy and global outlook.

Career

Early Investments and Banking

Al-Waleed began his business career in the early 1980s after returning to Saudi Arabia from his studies in the United States. He started with a relatively modest amount of capital and focused initially on construction and real estate in the Saudi market. He gradually built his wealth through a combination of real estate deals, contracting work, and early banking investments within the Kingdom.

One of his most consequential early moves was the accumulation of a significant stake in United Saudi Commercial Bank, which later merged with Saudi American Bank (SAMBA). Through shrewd timing and aggressive deal-making during periods of economic downturn in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s, Al-Waleed was able to acquire assets at depressed prices, laying the groundwork for rapid wealth accumulation.

Kingdom Holding Company

Al-Waleed's primary investment vehicle is Kingdom Holding Company, a publicly listed Saudi company through which he holds stakes in numerous domestic and international enterprises. Kingdom Holding has served as the platform for Al-Waleed's diversification into global markets, with investments spanning the financial services, hospitality, media, retail, entertainment, technology, and real estate sectors.

The company's portfolio has included interests in some of the world's most recognizable brands and corporations. Kingdom Holding has held stakes in companies across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, making it one of the most geographically diversified investment entities based in the Arab world.

Citigroup Investment

Perhaps the most famous investment of Al-Waleed's career was his purchase of a significant stake in Citicorp (later Citigroup) in the early 1990s. In 1991, when the American banking giant was in financial distress due to bad real estate loans and was trading at depressed levels, Al-Waleed invested approximately $590 million for a stake in the company. The investment was seen as contrarian at the time, given the severity of Citicorp's problems and the skepticism of many analysts about the bank's recovery prospects.

As Citigroup recovered and grew over the following years — particularly through its 1998 merger with Travelers Group — Al-Waleed's stake appreciated enormously in value, generating billions of dollars in returns and cementing his reputation as a bold, globally minded investor. The Citigroup investment became a defining chapter in his career narrative, establishing him as a major player in international finance and demonstrating his willingness to invest large sums in distressed assets.

However, the 2008 global financial crisis severely impacted the value of the Citigroup stake, and Al-Waleed saw significant paper losses during that period. He continued to hold the investment through the downturn and its aftermath.

Hospitality and Real Estate

Al-Waleed has made substantial investments in the global hospitality sector. His holdings have included significant stakes in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Canadian luxury hotel chain, as well as investments in the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International group, the Savoy Hotel in London, and the George V Hotel in Paris (now the Four Seasons Hotel George V).

Within Saudi Arabia, he has been involved in large-scale real estate development projects. Among the most prominent is the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, a 99-story skyscraper that serves as the headquarters of Kingdom Holding Company and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Saudi capital. Al-Waleed also announced plans for the Jeddah Tower (formerly known as the Kingdom Tower), which was designed to become the world's tallest building at over 1,000 meters in height, though the project has faced delays.

Media Investments

Al-Waleed has been active in the media and entertainment sectors. His investments have included stakes in News Corporation (the media conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch), Rotana Group (a major Arab media company involved in music, film, and television), and various other media enterprises. Through Rotana, he has been a significant figure in Arabic-language entertainment, owning a network of television channels and a large library of Arabic music and film content.

His media investments have at times attracted controversy, particularly the relationship with News Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Fox News. Al-Waleed's ownership stake in News Corporation led to scrutiny from various political commentators in the United States.

Technology Investments

In more recent years, Al-Waleed has directed increasing attention toward the technology sector. He made early investments in several technology companies, and his portfolio has included stakes in companies such as Apple Inc., the ride-hailing service Lyft, and social media platforms.

Al-Waleed was an early investor in Twitter (now X), acquiring a stake in the company prior to its initial public offering. His relationship with Twitter continued through various phases of the company's history, including its 2022 acquisition by Elon Musk, in which Al-Waleed rolled a portion of his stake into the newly private entity.

His investment activity in the social media and technology space has remained ongoing. In September 2025, it was reported that Al-Waleed had increased his stake in Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, to approximately 40.8 million shares valued at approximately $133.5 million, representing roughly 2.8% of the company. The move was described as reinforcing his long-term investment in the social media sector.

2017 Detention

In November 2017, Al-Waleed was among dozens of Saudi princes, ministers, and business figures who were detained at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh as part of an anti-corruption campaign led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The detentions were described by the Saudi government as part of an effort to combat corruption and recover misappropriated public funds.

Al-Waleed was held at the Ritz-Carlton for approximately 83 days before his release in January 2018. The terms of his release were not publicly disclosed in full, though reports indicated that he reached a financial settlement with the Saudi government. Al-Waleed himself stated after his release that he had maintained his innocence and characterized the episode as a misunderstanding. The detention had a significant impact on Kingdom Holding Company's share price and raised questions among international investors about the business environment in Saudi Arabia.

The episode was one of the most dramatic events in Al-Waleed's career, drawing intense international media scrutiny and highlighting the complex relationship between wealth, business, and royal politics within Saudi Arabia.

Personal Life

Al-Waleed bin Talal has been married multiple times. His first marriage was to Dalal bint Saud, a cousin and member of the Saudi royal family, with whom he has two children: Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed and Princess Reem bint Alwaleed. He was subsequently married to Princess Ameera al-Taweel, from whom he later divorced.

Al-Waleed is known for a high-profile public lifestyle that has at times set him apart from many members of the Saudi royal family. He has been the subject of extensive media coverage regarding his personal wealth, his residences, and his public statements on social and political issues.

Al-Waleed is a nephew of the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (through his father's half-brother relationship). His position within the royal family is that of a grandson of the kingdom's founder but not in the direct line of succession to the throne.

His nephew, Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud (the son of Al-Waleed's brother, Prince Khaled bin Talal), became known internationally as the "Sleeping Prince." Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled was involved in a severe car accident in London in 2005 while studying in the United Kingdom, which left him in a coma. He remained in a vegetative state for twenty years and died in July 2025 at the age of 36. The Saudi Royal Court officially announced Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled's passing. The accident occurred when the prince was approximately 16 years old, and he had been receiving medical care continuously for two decades.

Recognition

Al-Waleed bin Talal has been featured prominently on international wealth and business rankings for decades. He appeared regularly on the Forbes list of the world's billionaires and was for several years listed among the ten richest people in the world. His ranking on the Forbes list became the subject of a notable public dispute between Al-Waleed and the magazine, as he contended that Forbes had consistently underestimated his wealth.

He has received numerous honors and recognition from various institutions. He has been the recipient of honorary degrees and has been invited to speak at major international business and economic forums. His investment in Citigroup during its period of distress was frequently cited in business media as an example of successful contrarian investing.

Through Alwaleed Philanthropies, he has made donations to a number of universities and charitable causes internationally, including reported gifts to institutions such as Harvard University and Georgetown University for programs related to Islamic studies and interfaith dialogue. These donations attracted both praise and, in some cases, debate about the role of foreign donations to American academic institutions.

Al-Waleed's profile as one of the most prominent Arab businessmen in global finance has made him a frequent subject of international media coverage. He has been profiled in major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Forbes, among others.

Legacy

Al-Waleed bin Talal's career represents one of the most significant individual investment portfolios to emerge from the Middle East in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. His willingness to make large, contrarian bets on distressed companies — exemplified by the Citigroup investment — established a model that attracted attention from investors and business scholars alike.

His role as a bridge between Saudi capital and Western financial markets has been a defining feature of his career. By investing heavily in American and European companies during periods when Gulf investment in Western markets was less common, he contributed to the broader trend of Middle Eastern sovereign and private wealth flowing into global financial markets.

Through Kingdom Holding Company, he built a diversified conglomerate that spans multiple sectors and geographies, reflecting an investment philosophy rooted in both opportunistic deal-making and long-term holding strategies. His continued investments in the technology sector, including the 2025 increase in his Snapchat stake, indicate an ongoing effort to position his portfolio for the digital economy.

The 2017 detention at the Ritz-Carlton marked a significant inflection point, both for Al-Waleed personally and for the broader relationship between the Saudi business elite and the kingdom's evolving political leadership under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The episode underscored the degree to which even the most prominent and internationally connected Saudi business figures operate within a political context shaped by the authority of the ruling establishment.

Al-Waleed's philanthropic activities, while sometimes subject to debate, have contributed to educational and cultural exchange programs across multiple countries. His donations to Western universities for Islamic studies programs represent an effort to foster greater academic understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds.

As a member of the royal family who chose the path of global business rather than domestic politics, Al-Waleed bin Talal occupies a distinctive position in the history of the House of Saud and in the broader narrative of Gulf capitalism's engagement with the global economy.