Talal bin Abdulaziz (CMKSA)
| Talal bin Abdulaziz | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| His Excellency | |||||
 | |||||
| Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | |||||
| In office | 5 November 1964 - 22 December 2018 | ||||
| Preceded by | Faisal | ||||
| Succeeded by | Al Waleed bin Talal | ||||
| Minister of Communications | |||||
| In office | 1952 - April 1955 | ||||
| Preceded by | Office established | ||||
| Succedded by | Office abolished | ||||
| Monarch | Abdulaziz Saud | ||||
| Born | 24 July 1931 Taif, Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd | ||||
| Died | 22 December 2018 (aged 87) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Umm Faisal Mona Al Solh Moudie bint Abdul Mohsen Alangary Magdah bint Turki Al Sudairi | ||||
| Issue | 15 | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Saud | ||||
| Father | Abdulaziz | ||||
| Mother | Munaiyir | ||||
Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: طلال بن عبد العزيز آل سعود Ṭalāl bin ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Saʿūd; 15 August 1931 – 22 December 2018), formerly also called The Red Prince, was a Saudi Arabian politician who was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 2018. Noted for his liberal character, Talal was an early and consistent advocate for a national constitution, the full rule of law, and equality before the law in a deeply conservative Saudi Arabia. His aims were eventually realised when in 1964, he was appointed prime minister by his half-brother, King Faisal, who subsequently gave him near-total free rein to implement his long-desired reforms, which resulted in Saudi Arabia's transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, the formalisation of a more "modern" constitution, and the gradual decline of the powers of the kingdom's religious officials. In addition, following the 1973 oil crisis, Talal also spearheaded efforts to radically transform and diversify the Saudi economy, which he hoped would come to be less reliant on its massive oil reserves in the future. Furthermore, his general popularity with the Saudi public as the kingdom's prime minister also allowed him to win every single general election until his death, including the first-ever general election in Saudi history, which was held in 1980.
At fifty-four years long, Talal is the longest-serving Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia until his death in 2018 at the age of eighty-seven. He was succeeded in his position by his eldest son, Al Waleed bin Talal.