Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz

Prince Mohammed was born on 22 May 1953, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1] He is the eldest son of Prince Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the twenty-second son of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. Prince Mohammed was educated at The Capital Institute High School in Riyadh. He has a BS degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and an MPA degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is currently the President of the Harvard Alumni Association of Saudi Arabia.[2]

Mohammed bin Nawaf worked as a researcher in the international relations department at the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu for two years [3] before transferring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs[4] in February 1984 where he first worked in the Minister’s Cabinet before being promoted to Inspector General at the Ministry.[5]

In 1995, Prince Mohammed was appointed as Ambassador to Italy and Malta. During his tenure, in 1998, he was elected as President of the Council of Administration for the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy.[4] He was also Dean of the Arab Ambassadors’ Corps.[2]

In December 2005, Prince Mohammed was appointed as the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland.[3] He was the president of the Saudi British Society in London and the chairman of the King Fahad Academy’s Board of Trustees.[5] He was invited to and participated in The Queen's Jubilee luncheon organized at the Windsor Castle in May 2012, leading to criticisms of various human rights groups.[6] His tenure ended in December 2018, and he was replaced by Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud in the post.[7]

He is also the chairman of the King Fahad Academy's board of trustees.[3] He was among the columnists of Al Arabiya.[4]

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf is married to Princess Fadwa bint Khaled bin Abdallah Al Saud.[8] They have five children. His wife, Princess Fadwa is the honorary president of the Arab Italian Women's Association (AIWA), which was founded in May 2002 by Italian businesswomen and spouses of Saudi diplomats in Italy.[9]

A daughter of his, Madawi bint Mohammed, married Fahd bin Faisal bin Saud bin Mohammed at The Dorchester hotel in London on 24 January 2009. Fahd bin Faisal is a grandson of Itab bint Sultan, who was one of Prince Sultan’s favourite daughters. Prince Sultan arranged for a fleet of private jets to bring in 500 guests to the party, although he himself was not expected to attend.[10] His son, Prince Mansoor, died in September 2009.[11]

Mohammed bin Nawwaf is reported to be known for his lavish spending habits.[12] In 2009, he bought a new 65-meter (213-foot) megayacht, adding another to his fleet of yachts. It was named Nourah of Riyadh. It is the largest motoryacht built to date in Turkey. The megayacht features opulent interiors done by Donald Starkey with gold-plated fixtures including taps and toilet. The yacht consists of six guest staterooms, accommodations for 21 crew, 20-person dining hall, main hall, 1 captain cabin, a king room, jacuzzi, a private cinema, 120 square meters of sunbathing and swimming platform, two elevators and a helipad.[13]