Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri


Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri was a Saudi soldier and politician. He was deputy head of the National Guard under his friend and mentor Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and was later Chief of the Crown Prince's Court when the Prince was Heir Apparent and later Regent. He was succeeded by his son Khaled, who himself became de facto prime minister of Saudi Arabia.

Career

Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri first met Prince Abdullah in the 1950s, when the latter was made head of the National Guard by then King Saud. At the time, the Guard was an extremely small and disorganized force and the position was meant as a sop while the King and Crown prince Feisal were locked in a deadly power struggle. Al-Tuwaijri advised the Prince to turn what might be a dead-end nominal position into a real opportunity to get real power.
Intrigued, Prince Abdullah brought Al-Tuwaijri on board as his deputy, and over the years the two created a modern and sophisticated force. They not only developed its military capabilities, but also ensured its members were provided with top-class housing, medical care and education. This transformed the National Guard into an independent empire loyal to Abdullah. To many the success of the National Guard was due to the hard work and foresight of al-Tuwaijri, who became Prince Abdullah's close confidant and special advisor.
While known to be completely loyal to the Saudi absolute monarchy, al-Tuwaijri was also known to have Ba'athist sympathies. He was friends with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. During Saudi – Egyptian tensions over competing regional interests, Tuawijri demonstrated his excellent political skills by acting as a go-between of Nasser and King Faisal and publicly supporting both sides. Tuwaijri shied away from the media spotlight. Some joked that he didn't exist because while they had heard of his influence they had never actually seen him.
Following the murder of King Faisal in 1975, Prince Abdullah was appointed second deputy prime minister, and al Tuwaijri continued as his top aide and advisor, and when Abdullah became Crown Prince, he became chief of the Crown Prince Court.
As a "secularist" and "progressive", al Tuwaijri now incurred the wrath of the Wahabbist/Salafist faction in the Saudi government, but Abdullah kept him at his side when he became Regent in the 1990s. He became the most powerful non-royal citizen in the country until he retired in 2005.