History of the House of Saud
The House of Saud is one of the most influential families in Saudi Arabia, ruling the country for nearly three centuries. As descendants of Al-Saud, the founder of the Emirates of Diriyah, they have played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s history and governance.
In 1727, the Emirates of Diriyah was established as the first Saudi state, marking the beginning of the Al-Saud dynasty. Today, the King of Saudi Arabia holds the most prominent position in the country.
- The royal family is vast, with an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 members, though only about 2,000 hold significant power.
- The family’s collective wealth is staggering, ranging from 3 trillion, making them one of the wealthiest royal families in the world.
Among the many notable figures in the House of Saud, King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman stands out for his enduring legacy. Known as the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, his sons have succeeded him one after another, continuing his vision and leadership.

Sons of the Great King Abdulaziz al Saud
The sons of King Abdulaziz al Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, have played a crucial role in shaping the nation’s history. For decades, they have ruled the country, each contributing to its development and modernization.
Kings and Princes of the State
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Saud bin Abdulaziz al Saud:
The first king after Abdulaziz, Saud bin Abdulaziz, ruled for 11 years following his father’s death. His reign marked the continuation of the Al-Saud legacy. -
Faisal bin Abdulaziz:
Faisal bin Abdulaziz succeeded Saud and worked tirelessly to modernize Saudi Arabia. Tragically, he was assassinated in 1975 by his nephew. His sons, Saud al Faisal and Khaled al Faisal, have held prominent roles as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Education, respectively. -
Khalid bin Abdulaziz:
Khalid bin Abdulaziz became king after Faisal and ruled until 1982. His reign was marked by the occupation of the Holy Mosque in Mecca by Islamic extremists, a significant event in Saudi history. -
Fahd bin Abdulaziz:
Fahd bin Abdulaziz, the longest-reigning king, ruled for 23 years from 1982 until his death. His son, Muhammad bin Fahd al Saud, served as the governor of the Eastern Province. -
Sultan bin Abdulaziz:
Although never king, Sultan bin Abdulaziz held the position of crown prince for six years until 2011. His sons, Khaled bin Sultan (Deputy Minister of Defense) and Bandar bin Sultan (Secretary General of the National Security Council), have also held significant roles. -
Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz:
Known as the "Red Prince" for his liberal views, Talal bin Abdulaziz remains an active member of UNESCO. His son, Alwaleed bin Talal, is a renowned businessman with global investments in hospitality and real estate. -
Nayef bin Abdulaziz:
Nayef bin Abdulaziz served as the Interior Minister until his death in 2012. His sons, Saud bin Nayef (Governor of the Eastern Province) and Muhammad bin Nayef (former Interior Minister), continue to serve the kingdom. -
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz:
The youngest son of Abdulaziz, Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, served as the head of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agencies and later as Deputy Prime Minister. He was also named crown prince before being replaced by his nephew, Bandar bin Salman, in 2012.
The Current King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Salman bin Abdulaziz is the reigning King of Saudi Arabia, continuing the legacy of the Al-Saud dynasty. He has three sons: Faisal bin Salman, Muhammad bin Salman, and Sultan bin Salman. Among them, Muhammad bin Salman (often called MBS) holds the position of Crown Prince and plays a pivotal role in the country’s governance.
Muhammad bin Salman: The Power Behind the Throne
As Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman oversees most of the country’s affairs, including economic reforms, foreign relations, and domestic policies. He is known for his active involvement in international diplomacy, frequently traveling abroad to negotiate deals and partnerships. However, the final authority on major decisions still rests with King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Despite King Salman’s advanced age and reduced public appearances, he remains the symbolic head of the kingdom. Meanwhile, Muhammad bin Salman has effectively taken on the country's responsibilities, making him the de facto leader. Given his influence and the King’s declining health, it is widely anticipated that Muhammad bin Salman will ascend to the throne soon.
How to Make a Family Tree of Al Saud?
The pen-and-paper method of making a family tree is old and outdated. Today, many digital alternatives like EdrawMax are here to ease your life. It has a wide collection of templates, resizable symbols, and design tools to help you make detailed and aesthetic family trees.
Let’s see how you can make this diagram in EdrawMax in two ways.
Method 1: Make a Family Tree from Scratch
Unlike traditional written notes, family trees help visualize connections between people and their lineage. However, when making them from scratch, you must be careful of a few things. Let’s discuss them and see how to transform a blank canvas into a family tree.
Before you begin, it is a must to have all the information about the family. You may use interviews, documents, and other credible sources if it’s a known lineage.

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Step 1:
Once you have the data on the paper, it’s time to plot the structure. Start with the eldest member (mother/ father or grandmother/ grandfather) and work your way up to the children. Double-click on the canvas where you want to add a person and start writing.

Step 2:
The next step is adding visual cues. Though not necessary, images are an easy way to level up your family trees in terms of understanding and aesthetics. To do this, go to the Insert tab and select Picture. Double-click below the images to add labels (names, relationships, and other information as you prefer).

Step 3:
It’s time to build relationships. The good thing is that connections in family trees are straightforward, as the children are only connected to their parents. Simply select a person and use its connection points to link it to another member. You may adjust the connector's thickness, color, and style accordingly.

Step 4:
You’re almost done! Visit the Design tab at the top to customize the diagram's colors, orientation, and theme.

Step 5:
Voila, your family tree is ready to be shared. Open the File menu from the top-right corner, click Export, and select the desired format.

Method 2: Use a Family Tree Template
However, starting from scratch takes hours. Keeping a check of everything, from profiles to labels, connections, and symmetry, comes with unavoidable frustration.
But no worries!
A template is a simpler approach to creating family trees. It saves you time and effort. All you need to do is add and remove information. Let’s see how you can modify this Saudi family tree into a completely different one.

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Step 1:
Download this template above and open it in the editing panel. Alternatively, open the EdrawMax desktop and visit our Template Community to explore more family tree options.

Step 2:
Remove elements you won’t need, such as profiles, text descriptions, graphics, and connections. Select any object you want to remove, and click Cut or simply press Delete from your keyboard. Also, modify their descriptions by double-clicking the text labels.

Step 3:
Import saved pictures of the family members from your device and place them accordingly in the template. Select individual frames from the canvas, click Replace, and add pictures accordingly.

Step 4:
Finally, adjust the relationships using the connection points of each image. Once everything is done, change the theme of your diagram from the Design tab. That’s it; your family tree is all set.

Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the Saudi Royal family tree and their family members. The discussion was about how wealthy this family is and how they have played an important role in the country's success for the last century.
Taking the Saudi royal family tree into consideration, we understand the basic concepts of the family trees, too, like how they are helpful and make it easier for anyone to know a family within seconds. Yes, that's what a family tree offers.
Edrawmax, one of the finest diagram generators, helps us a lot while making such trees as the Saudi royal family tree. There are hundreds of templates for you to choose from. Try a few for your family tree as well.
