Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, or MBS, is the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and is seen by most as the de facto ruler of the kingdom. He was born on August 31, 1985, in Riyadh, the eldest son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Princess Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithlain.
Since he acceded to the throne in June 2017, he has been leading the Saudi political, economic, and foreign policy course. Within ten years, he went from being a less-than-well-known royal advisor to a more powerful figure in the kingdom by being appointed Defense Minister and starting a Vision 2030 reform program in 2016.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud |
| Known As | MBS |
| Born | August 31, 1985 |
| Birthplace | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Title | Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia |
| Father | King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
| Mother | Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain |
| Spouse | Princess Sara bint Mashour Al Saud (m. 2008) |
| Children | 5 (3 sons, 2 daughters) |
| Education | King Saud University — Bachelor’s in Law (2007) |
| Known For | Vision 2030, NEOM, Crown Prince since 2017 |
| Net Worth (est.) | Reported estimates range from roughly $1 billion to $30 billion, depending on the source and methodology |
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Early Life and Education
When Was Mohammed Bin Salman Born?
Mohammed bin Salman was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 31st August 1985. He is the eldest of 6 sons born to King Salman and his third wife, Princess Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithlain, of the Al Ajman tribe.
He was brought up near the seat of power, a first-hand experience of governance, as his father was the governor of Riyadh Province for nearly 50 years.
Education and Early Career
Mohammed bin Salman attended the Princes’ School in Riyadh and was always among the top students in his class.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University in 2007, reportedly as a second-tier student.
He joined the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers, an advisory body of the Saudi Government, after graduating and became a formal adviser to his father in 2009.
This was a first-year apprenticeship in the corridors of power in Riyadh, which paved the way for his meteoric political career following King Salman’s accession to the throne in 2015.
Mohammed bin Salman never studied abroad, unlike many senior Saudi princes of his day.
His practical, fast-paced policy-making style has been attributed to his upbringing in local government as well as the daily practice of his father, who served as governor of Riyadh.
Family
Who Are Mohammed Bin Salman’s Parents?
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was Mohammed bin Salman’s father, who has reigned over Saudi Arabia since January 2015 and ruled Riyadh Province for more than 50 years.
His mother is Princess Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithlain, the third wife of King Salman, from the Al Ajman tribe of the Arabian Peninsula.
Wife: Sara bint Mashour Al Saud
On April 6th, 2008, Mohammed bin Salman married the first cousin of his mother, Princess Sara bint Mashour Al Saud. She is the daughter of Prince Mashour bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the granddaughter of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
In accordance with Saudi royal etiquette, Princess Sara has kept a low profile and has been more visible in the realm of education and cultural institutions under the umbrella of the Misk Foundation.
Children
Mohammed bin Salman and Princess Sara have a total of five children: three sons and two daughters, Prince Salman, Prince Mashour, Prince Abdulaziz, Princess Fahda and Princess Noura.
The family keeps privacy, and detailed personal information about the children is not widely disclosed.
Siblings
King Salman has six full brothers: Mohammed bin Salman, the eldest; Prince Turki bin Salman, a businessman; and Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defense.
He also has a few half-brothers and half-sisters from King Salman’s other wives.
Like other members of the Saudi royal family, Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage is fairly low-profile, and information on the family’s personal or biographical details is seldom provided officially.
This is not the case only for the Saudi family, but is a broader trend in the culture and institutions of the Saudi regime.
Career and Rise to Power
Mohammed bin Salman’s career is one of the fastest political promotions in modern Saudi history, progressing from a junior royal advisor to the top decision-maker in about ten years. His strength spreads beyond politics to the Saudi economy today as he chairs the Public Investment Fund and spearheads giga-projects that he leads, including NEOM.
How Did Mohammed Bin Salman Become Crown Prince?
Since his father ascended to the throne as King in January 2015, Mohammed bin Salman’s political trajectory has sped up. He was immediately appointed as Minister of Defense, the youngest defense minister at the time, and was also appointed as Deputy Crown Prince in April 2015.
In June 2017, King Salman elevated Mohammed bin Salman to First in Line to the Throne and removed Mohammed bin Nayef as Crown Prince, thus securing Mohammed bin Salman as Heir-Apparent.
Defense Minister and Early Reforms (2015–2017)
In March 2015, Mohammed bin Salman launched Operation Decisive Storm, which was a coalition intervention in Yemen’s civil war supporting the internationally recognized government.
He also received the Saudi Aramco and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs during this time period, and thus was in charge of the key economic policy levers in the kingdom.
The 2017 Anti-Corruption Purge
In November 2017, Mohammed bin Salman arrested dozens of prominent businessmen, princes, and ministers shortly after his ascension to the Crown Prince, holding many at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign.
The campaign had turned in billions of dollars in settlements, according to Saudi authorities, but had also helped to marginalize future rivals and strengthen Mohammed bin Salman’s position within the royal family and business community, critics said.
Crown Prince and Prime Minister (2017–Present)
Since becoming Crown Prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman has directed Saudi Arabia’s economic, social, and foreign policy transformation. He was formally crowned Prime Minister by his father in September 2022, and ruled as Prime Minister while staying on the throne.
In this role, he also receives the legal protections afforded to heads of state. As the chairman of the Council of Ministers, he also holds de facto control of the Saudi cabinet and the kingdom’s ministries.
He has also remained active on the global stage, hosting and meeting with world leaders, including a high-profile visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Riyadh and a state visit to the White House in November 2025.
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Vision 2030 and Major Achievements
What Is Vision 2030?
Saudi Arabia’s national transformation program, Vision 2030, was announced by Mohammed bin Salman in April 2016. It seeks to decrease the reliance on oil-based income in favor of other activities like tourism, technology, entertainment, logistics, and renewable energy.
The program also aims to improve fiscal management and attract more foreign investment across the kingdom’s economy.
NEOM and Giga-Projects
The most visible projects of Vision 2030 include NEOM, a planned megacity on the coast of the Red Sea. It had a $500 billion budget at the outset.
Some of its elements, such as parts of The Line, were scaled back, delayed, or restructured by 2026. Other giga-projects related to the program are the developments in the tourism sector in the Red Sea region, and the ongoing development of the Public Investment Fund’s foreign portfolio.
Saudi Aramco and the Public Investment Fund
One of the main pillars of Vision 2030 was the idea of putting up for sale a part of Saudi Aramco, the state oil company. Finally, in December 2019, Aramco’s IPO was realized after successive postponements.
It raised billions of dollars and was one of the biggest stock market listings ever. In addition, Mohammed bin Salman has diversified the Public Investment Fund into a big global investor and holds a stake in technology, sports, entertainment, and real estate.
Social Reforms
In June 2018, Saudi Arabia, under Mohammed bin Salman, removed the ban on female driving after decades, expanded the female workforce, and limited the power of religious police.
The kingdom also welcomed tourism and public entertainment for the first time in decades, some of the most profound social changes in Saudi Arabia’s modern history.
Under his leadership, Saudi Arabia has also made significant investments in sports and entertainment, with plans to host international football, golf, boxing and Formula 1 competitions, as well as bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Supporters see these developments as a sign of a fast modernizing society, and critics say they are efforts to enhance the kingdom’s image abroad amid tighter political dissent controls.
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Controversies and Criticism
The Khashoggi Case
The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, which sparked international outrage, has cast a shadow over Mohammed bin Salman’s time in office.
A U.S. intelligence assessment from 2019 has suggested the operation was approved at a high level of the Saudi government, and the Saudi government has denied the Crown Prince ordered the killing.
In December 2022, after MBS was appointed Prime Minister, it was determined by the State Department that he qualified for head-of-government immunity in a related U.S. civil case.
Yemen War and Foreign Policy
Human rights groups condemned the Saudi-led military effort in Yemen, which was initiated in 2015 by Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, for its impact on civilians.
Despite this, Riyadh has tried to work towards de-escalation with the Houthis over the past few years. His wider foreign policy, which was characterized by his assertive, independent stance and greater engagement with key world powers, continues to be a subject of controversy and praise globally.
Recently, however, Mohammed bin Salman has been making Saudi Arabia a player in regional crises, such as those involving Gaza and the stability of the broader Middle East, as it seeks to strike a balance between ties with the U.S., China, and other key powers.
Restrictions on freedom of expression and treatment of activists in the kingdom continue to concern human rights groups and are part of the broader international discussion on his leadership.
Net Worth
Saudi Arabia does not release official figures of the wealth of its royal family’s members, with the majority of figures that have been linked to Mohammed bin Salman’s net worth being estimates based on journalistic reports.
How Much Is Mohammed Bin Salman Worth?
The personal wealth of Mohammed bin Salman is not officially revealed, and various estimates range from about $1 billion to the conservative estimate of $2 billion to $25 billion to $30 billion.
He is also the chairman of the Public Investment Fund, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, valued at hundreds of billions of dollars but not part of his personal wealth.
It is sometimes difficult to keep his personal wealth separate from the sovereign wealth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the media’s reports. This is the Public Investment Fund, which is said to control nearly $1 trillion in assets, not his own.
Assets and Lifestyle
Over the years, there have been reports of high-value personal purchases by Mohammed bin Salman, such as a super yacht named Serene, a French chateau outside Paris, and Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Salvator Mundi.
No Saudi official has officially confirmed any of these purchases, and the figures that appear in the media are only estimates and not facts. The official Saudi government reports of the wealth of the royal family, if they exist, are not published, so estimates persist in a wide range.
Final Thoughts
The ascent of Mohammed bin Salman from youth to the Saudi Kingdom’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister is one of its most important leadership changes in modern history.
His career has seen a mix of ambition and controversy, yet his economic and global vision of Saudi Arabia, as seen through Vision 2030 and a series of social changes, has made a strong impression.
Saudi Arabia is a country that’s transforming, and Mohammed bin Salman’s actions will be key to the kingdom’s trajectory in the years ahead.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mohammed Bin Salman?
MBS is the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
When was Mohammed Bin Salman born?
Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 31 August 1985.
How old is Mohammed Bin Salman?
Mohammed bin Salman is now 40 years old.
Who are Mohammed Bin Salman’s parents?
He is the son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain.
Who is Mohammed Bin Salman’s wife?
He married Princess Sara bint Mashour Al Saud in 2008.
How many children does Mohammed Bin Salman have?
He has 5 children: 3 boys and 2 girls.
How did Mohammed Bin Salman become Crown Prince?
He succeeded Mohammed bin Nayef as Crown Prince in June 2017.
When did Mohammed Bin Salman become Prime Minister?
In September 2022, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
What is Mohammed Bin Salman’s net worth?
The estimates range from $1 billion to $30 billion, depending on the source.
What is Vision 2030?
Saudi Arabia’s national plan to diversify its economy away from oil dependence is Vision 2030.
What is NEOM?
NEOM is a Vision 2030 megacity project on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.
Where did Mohammed Bin Salman study?
He graduated from King Saud University in Riyadh, studying Law, in 2007.
