In August, 2005, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, formerly Crown Prince, became the sixth King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Prime Minister. He remained head of the Kingdom's National Guard which he has commanded since 1962. Born in Riyadh in 1924, he was given a formal religious education.
Throughout his long public life, HRH Crown Prince Abdullah has exerted a major influence on both the domestic and foreign policy of the Kingdom.
