Editing Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud

{{Short description|Saudi royal, diplomat, military officer and government official (born 1949)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Family name hatnote|lang=Arabic|[[Al Saud]]}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| image        = Bandar bin Sultan.jpg
| caption      = Prince Bandar in 2008
| alt          = Bandar bin Sultan aged 59
| spouse       = [[Haifa bint Faisal]]
| father       = [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]]
| mother       = Khiziran
| issue        = 8, [[Reema bint Bandar Al Saud|Reema]], [[Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud|Khalid]], [[Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud|Faisal]], Fahd, Loloa, Noura, Hussa, Abdulaziz
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1949|3|2}}
| birth_place  = [[Ta'if]], [[Saudi Arabia]]
| full name    = Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
| succession   = [[General Intelligence Presidency|President of General Intelligence]]
| reign        = 19 July 2012 – 15 April 2014
| reg-type     = Monarch
| regent       = [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah]]
| predecessor  = [[Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]
| successor    = [[Youssef bin Ali Al Idrissi]]
| succession1  = [[National Security Council (Saudi Arabia)|Secretary General of the National Security Council]]
| reign1       = 16 October 2005 – 29 January 2015
| reg-type1    = Monarch
| regent1      = Abdullah
| predecessor1 = ''Office established''
| successor1   = ''Office abolished''
| succession2  = [[Saudi Ambassador to the United States|Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C.]]
| reign2       = 24 October 1983 – 8 September 2005
| reg-type2    = Monarch
| regent2      = {{ubl|[[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]]|Abdullah}}
| predecessor2 = Faisal Alhegelan
| successor2   = [[Turki bin Faisal Al Saud]]
| house        = [[House of Saud|Al Saud]]
| module       = {{Infobox person|child=yes| alma mater   = {{ubl|[[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]|[[Johns Hopkins University]]}}}}
}}
'''Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud''' ({{langx|ar|بندر بن سلطان بن عبد العزيز آل سعود}}; born 2 March 1949) is a member of the [[House of Saud|Saudi ruling family]], a grandson of [[Ibn Saud|King Abdulaziz]], military officer, and retired diplomat who served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. From 2005 to 2015, he served as [[National Security Council (Saudi Arabia)|secretary general of the National Security Council]] and was director general of the [[Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah|Saudi Intelligence Agency]] from 2012 to 2014. From 2014 to 2015, he was [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|King Abdullah]]'s special envoy.

==Early life==
Bandar was born officially on 2 March 1949  in [[Ta'if|Taif]].<ref name="Kordan">{{cite book |author1=Korany |first=Bahgat |title=The Foreign Policies of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization |author2=Fattah |first2=Moataz A. |publisher=American University in Cairo Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-977-416-360-9 |editor1=Korany |editor-first=Bahgat |location=Cairo; New York |page=369 |chapter=Irreconcilable Role Partners? Saudi Foreign Policy between the Ulema and the US |editor2=Hillal Dessouki |editor-first2=Ali E. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=64PWMY5QksMC&pg=PA369}}</ref> By his own account, and according to Western think tanks, his actual date of birth is later. He had reportedly altered his birthday (overstated his age) to enter the [[Royal Saudi Air Force]] while a teen.<ref>{{cite book |author=Simpson |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=at9z3p2c-MEC&pg=PA11 |title=The Prince: The Secret Story of the World's Most Intriguing Royal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-0611-8942-5 |location=New York}}</ref>

Bandar's parents were Prince [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz]] and his [[Ethiopians|Ethiopian]] [[concubine]] Khiziran. Both of Bandar's parents were very young at the time of his birth: his mother Khiziran was just sixteen, and was working as a maid in the palace when she first came in contact with Sultan, who was 23. The royal family provided Khiziran with a generous monthly pension after Bandar was born, but told her to take her child and live with her own family.<ref name="New Yorker"/>

Bandar thus spent his early years in a non-royal milieu, living with his mother and aunt, and had little contact with his father until he was about eight years old.<ref name="New Yorker"/> By this time, the royal family relented and invited Khiziran to bring Bandar with her and live in the palace with Prince Sultan's widowed mother, [[Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi]].<ref name="New Yorker"/> Khiziran died in Riyadh in October 2019.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz's Mother dies|url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/75569/Saudi-Prince-Bandar-bin-Sultan-bin-Abdulaziz-s-Mother-dies|access-date=12 June 2020|magazine=[[Egypt Today]]|date=7 October 2019|location=Riyadh}}</ref>

==Education==
Bandar graduated from the [[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]] in 1968.<ref name="aamulhim">{{cite news |author=Al Mulhim |first=Abdulateef |date=29 July 2012 |title=From pilot's g-suit to three-piece suit |url=http://www.arabnews.com/pilot%E2%80%99s-g-suit-three-piece-suit |access-date=29 July 2012 |newspaper=[[Arab News]]}}</ref> He received additional training at [[Maxwell Air Force Base]] and the [[Industrial College of the Armed Forces]].<ref name=aamulhim/> He is a trained pilot and has flown numerous [[fighter aircraft]]. Bandar's military career ended in 1977 after he crash-landed his jet and suffered a severe back injury.<ref name="New Yorker">{{cite magazine |author=Walsh |first=Elsa |date=24 March 2003 |title=The Prince |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/03/24/030324fa_fact_walsh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614095551/http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030324fa_fact2 |archive-date=14 June 2006 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> Afterward, he received a master's degree in international public policy at the [[Johns Hopkins University]]'s [[Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies]].<ref name=pbs>{{cite web|title=Who's Who: The House of Saud|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/the-saudi-question/whos-who-the-house-of-saud/prince-bandar-bin-sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud/2877/|work=[[PBS]]|date=7 October 2004}}</ref>

One of his classmates in Cranwell was [[Bandar bin Faisal Al Saud|Bandar bin Faisal]], son of King Faisal and his future brother-in-law.<ref>{{cite thesis |author=Samore |title=Royal Family Politics in Saudi Arabia (1953-1982) |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/303295482 |location=[[Harvard University]] |page=255 |year=1984 |degree=PhD |id={{ProQuest|303295482}} |first=Gary Samuel}}</ref>

==Initial career==
[[File:Bandr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.jpg|thumbnail|Prince Bandar c. 1980s|180px]]
Bandar joined the Royal Saudi Air Force, and rose to the rank of [[lieutenant colonel]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Laham |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kqve9cTLfGcC&pg=PA87 |title=Selling AWACS to Saudi Arabia: The Reagan Administration and the Balancing of America's Competing Interests in the Middle East |publisher=Praeger |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-275-97563-0 |location=Westport, CT; London |page=90}}</ref> His diplomatic career began in 1978 when he was appointed the [[Khalid of Saudi Arabia|King Khalid]]'s personal envoy. He successfully lobbied the [[United States Congress]] to approve the sale of [[F-15 Eagle|F-15s]] to Saudi Arabia. In the Oval Office, President Carter advised him to win the support of California governor [[Ronald Reagan]]. He did and in exchange helped Carter win the support of [[South Dakota]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[James Abourezk]] for the Panama Canal treaty. Crown Prince Fahd made Bandar an emissary to Carter and granted him permission to act independently of the Saudi-U.S. ambassador.<ref name="New Yorker"/>

In 1982, [[King Fahd]] made him the military attache at the Saudi Embassy, a move which could have ended his diplomatic career. However, in 1983, Fahd appointed Bandar as Saudi Ambassador to the United States.<ref name="New Yorker"/>

==Ambassador to the United States (1983–2005)==
On 24 October 1983 Bandar was appointed ambassador to the United States by King Fahd.<ref>{{cite news |author=Al Zuhayyan |first=Abdulrahman |date=7 October 2012 |title=Prince Bandar, Architect of Saudi-US Relations |url=http://www.eurasiareview.com/06102012-prince-bandar-architect-of-saudi-us-relations-oped/ |access-date=7 October 2012 |work=Eurasia Review}}</ref> He replaced Faisal Alhegelan in the post.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saudi Arabia|url=https://adst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Saudi-Arabia.pdf|work=Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training|access-date=9 January 2021|page=507|format=Country Readers Series|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109115846/https://adst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Saudi-Arabia.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> During his tenure as ambassador and, before that, the king's personal envoy to Washington, he dealt with five U.S. presidents, ten secretaries of state, eleven national security advisers, sixteen sessions of Congress, and the media.<ref name=ottaway>{{cite news|title=Prince Bandar bin Sultan: Larger-than-life diplomacy|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=6 November 2008|url=http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12551526|access-date=5 December 2010}}</ref> He had extensive influence in the United States. At the pinnacle of his career, he served both "as the King's exclusive messenger and the White House's errand boy".<ref name=ottaway/> For over three decades, he was the face of the [[Saudi Arabia lobby]].<ref name=ottaway/><ref name="MacArthur">{{Cite web |last=MacArthur |first=John R. |date=16 April 2007 |title=The Vast Power of the Saudi Lobby |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2007/04/jrm-pubnote-20070417/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423170247/http://harpers.org/archive/2007/04/jrm-pubnote-20070417 |archive-date=23 April 2007 |access-date= |website=[[Harper's Magazine]]}}</ref> The U.S. is widely seen as one of Saudi Arabia's most essential allies, but different members of the royal family feel different mixtures of trust and suspicion of the United States. Therefore, Prince Bandar's intimate relationships with U.S. leaders and policy-makers are considered to be both the source of his power base in the kingdom, as well as the cause of suspicions within the royal family that he is too close to U.S. political figures.<ref name="Hersh">{{cite magazine |author=Hersh |first=Seymour M. |date=5 March 2007 |title=Is the Administration's new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/03/05/070305fa_fact_hersh?printable=true |access-date=3 May 2012 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>

===Reagan era===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Prince Bandar.jpg|thumb|right|Prince Bandar with [[U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1986]]
[[File:President George H. W. Bush with Prince Bandar.jpg|thumb|right|Prince Bandar with President [[George H. W. Bush]] in 1991]]
[[File:Prince Bandar bin Sultan with G.W. Bush.jpg|thumb|right|Prince Bandar with President [[George W. Bush]] in 2002]]
During the [[Reagan Era]], he secured the [[US/Saudi AWACS Sale|purchase of AWACs surveillance aircraft]] despite opposition from the [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee]].<ref name=ottaway/> The $5.5 billion deal was the beginning of a $200 billion deal for the purchase of American weapons for Saudi Arabia, which included a slush fund that the CIA could direct for its off-the-budget projects. For example, at CIA request, Prince Bandar deposited $10 million in a Vatican bank used to meddle in Italian elections by undermining the [[Italian Communist Party]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.amazon.com/House-Bush-Saud-Relationship-Dynasties-ebook/dp/B000FC1BKG|title=House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties|work=Amazon|access-date=23 February 2021}}</ref> The [[Al-Yamamah arms deal]] between Britain and Saudi Arabia included diverting hundreds of millions of British pounds stretching over more than a decade to Prince Bandar through a Saudi Arabian government bank account at [[Riggs Bank]], but some of the money was used to fund secret CIA projects off-the-budget.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Trento |first=Joseph J. |title=Prelude to Terror: The Rogue CIA and the Legacy of America's Private Intelligence Network |publisher=Carroll & Graf |year=2005 |location=New York |pages=102}}</ref> According [[Robert Lacey]] these payments to Prince Bandar amounted to more than a billion British pounds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lacey |first=Robert |title=Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2009 |location=New York |pages=108}}</ref> After the United States rejected an arms order, he arranged the delivery of intermediate-range nuclear-warhead-capable missiles from [[China]].<ref name=ottaway/> This angered the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[United States Department of State]].<ref name=ottaway/> Pursuant to an understanding with the CIA, Prince Bandar provided $32 million to the U.S.-backed [[terrorism|terrorist]] militants, the [[Contras]], through a [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] (BCCI) account, as part of what later became known as the [[Iran-Contra scandal]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Draper |first=Theodore |title=A Very Thin Line |publisher=Hill and Wang |year=1991 |location=New York |pages=80–83}}</ref><ref name="New Yorker"/> [[Nancy Reagan]] used him to relay messages to the Cabinet.<ref name="New Yorker"/>

===Clinton era===
Clinton, as governor of Arkansas, had asked him to help pay for the Middle East Studies Center at the [[University of Arkansas]].<ref name="New Yorker"/> In the 1990s, he persuaded Libyan president [[Muammar Gaddafi]] to turn in two suspects allegedly involved in the [[Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103|1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103]]. He privately described Gaddafi as "a [[Jerry Lewis]] trying to be a [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]]".<ref name="New Yorker"/>

In the first autumn of Clinton's presidency, September 1993, Prince Bandar was appointed Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, and he continued the role until the second term of George W. Bush's presidency.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deans of the Diplomatic Corps|date=1 March 2013|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/93591.htm|work=Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

===Bush presidencies===
Bandar formed close relationships with several American presidents, notably [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]], his closeness to the latter gaining him the affectionate and controversial nickname 'Bandar Bush'.<ref>{{Cite magazine |author=Baer |first=Robert |title=The Fall of the House of Saud |date=May 2003 |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/baer/3 |access-date=5 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007024115/http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/baer/3 |archive-date=7 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> His particularly close relationship with the Bush family was highlighted in [[Michael Moore]]'s documentary ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]''. He was reportedly so close to George H. W. Bush that he was often described as a member of the former president's family.<ref name="New Yorker"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Leigh |first=David |last2=Evans |first2=Rob |date=7 June 2007 |title=Prince Bandar |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jun/07/bae5 |access-date=9 February 2011 |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He advocated [[Saddam Hussein]]'s overthrow in [[Iraq]] in March 2003.<ref name="kingsmessenger">{{cite book |author=Ottoway |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdIZhiQxGxEC&pg=PA251 |title=The king's messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America's tangled |publisher=Walker Publishing Company |year=2008 |isbn=9780802777645 |location=New York |page=251}}</ref> He encouraged military action against Iraq and supported [[Dick Cheney]]'s agenda for "The New Middle East", which called for pro-democracy programs in both Syria and Iran.<ref name="kingsmessenger"/>

===Resignation===
On 26 June 2005, Bandar submitted his resignation as ambassador to the United States for "personal reasons".<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8366298|title=Saudi envoy to U.S. offers resignation|work=[[NBC News]]|date=27 June 2005}}</ref> The official end date of his term was 8 September 2005.<ref name=resaw/> Bandar returned to Saudi Arabia weeks prior to the death of King Fahd, upon which Bandar's father, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, became the nation's crown prince. It was rumored that Bandar's return was timed in order to secure a position in the new government.<ref>{{cite news |author=Leyne |first=Jon |date=1 August 2005 |title=Tensions remain among Saudi royals |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4735505.stm |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

Prince Bandar was succeeded as ambassador by Prince [[Turki bin Faisal|Turki Al Faisal]].<ref name=Kordan/> Nevertheless, even after leaving the ambassadorship, Bandar continued to maintain strong relationships within the Bush administration and to meet with high-ranking White House staff even after Prince Turki took over the post; Turki gave up the ambassador's job after only 18 months.<ref name="Hersh"/>

==Secretary General of National Security Council (2005–2015)==
In October 2005, King Abdullah appointed Bandar bin Sultan as secretary-general of the newly created [[National Security Council (Saudi Arabia)|National Security Council]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi Arabia creates new security council|work=[[United Press International]]|date=21 October 2005|url=http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2005/10/21/Saudi-Arabia-creates-new-security-council/UPI-36381129910474/
|access-date=10 December 2012|location=Riyadh}}</ref>

Bandar secretly met with U.S. officials in 2006 after resigning as ambassador.<ref name="arnaud">{{cite web |author=Borchgrave |first=Arnaud de |date=27 December 2006 |title=Analysis: Arabian Medicis |url=http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20061227-082153-2822r |access-date=29 December 2006 |work=United Press International}}</ref> [[Seymour Hersh]] reported in 2007 in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' that as Saudi Arabia's national security adviser, Bandar continued to meet privately with both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. At that time Hersh described Bandar as a key architect of the Bush administration policy in Iraq and the Middle East.<ref name="Hersh"/>

On 25 January 2007, Saudi Arabia sent Bandar to Iran for discussions on the crisis in Lebanon and the Kingdom even held talks with [[Hizballah]] leaders, whom he had invited for the annual pilgrimage to [[Mecca]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Jones |first=Toby |year=2007 |title=Saudi Arabia's Not so New Anti-Shi'ism |journal=[[Middle East Report]] |volume=242 |issue=242 |pages=29–32 |jstor=25164776}}</ref> After tensions with Qatar over supplying rebel groups, Saudi Arabia (under Bandar's leadership of its Syria policy) switched its efforts from Turkey to Jordan in 2012, using its financial leverage over Jordan to develop training facilities there, with Bandar sending his half-brother and deputy [[Salman bin Sultan]] to oversee them.<ref name=adnoma/>

Bandar's tenure as secretary general was extended for four years on 3 September 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prince Bandar gets four-year extension as NSC chief|date=3 September 2009|work=Arab News|access-date=4 September 2009|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=126033&d=3&m=9&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom}}</ref> His term ended on 29 January 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=King Salman makes appointments |url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news01291502.aspx|access-date=1 February 2015|work=Royal Embassy, Washington DC|date=29 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202220126/http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news01291502.aspx |archive-date=2 February 2015 }}</ref> The office was also abolished on the same day.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kerr |first=Simeon |date=30 January 2015 |title=Saudi king stamps his authority with staff shake-up and handouts |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8045e3e0-a850-11e4-bd17-00144feab7de.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8045e3e0-a850-11e4-bd17-00144feab7de.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |access-date=1 February 2015 |work=[[Financial Times]] |location=Riyadh}}</ref>

===Disappearance and rumors===
After King Abdullah renewed Bandar's post on the National Security Council for an additional 4-year term in September 2009, Bandar failed to make the customary public demonstration of his allegiance to him.<ref name="missingprince"/> This noticeable absence was followed by others: an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Bandar did not appear in his customary seat—next to owner [[Jerry Jones]] in Jones's skybox—for the home opener of the new [[Cowboys Stadium]].<ref name="missingprince"/> In October 2009, he was not present in King Abdullah's delegation for the watershed Damascus visit.<ref name="missingprince"/> Most strikingly, in December 2009, Prince Bandar was not present for the return of his father, Crown Prince Sultan, from Morocco.<ref name="missingprince"/> After that event, journalists began to report on Bandar's disappearance, noting that his last appearance in public had been with King Abdullah in Jeddah on 10 December 2008.<ref name="missingprince"/>

Hugh Miles of the ''[[London Review of Books]]'' reported rumors that Bandar was undergoing surgery at the [[Johns Hopkins Hospital]] in Baltimore. Bandar's lawyer denied these rumors;<ref name="missingprince">{{cite web |author=Miles |first=Hugh |date=19 January 2009 |title=The Missing Prince |url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2010/01/19/hugh-miles/the-missing-prince/ |work=LRB Blog}}</ref> he has no spokesman.<ref name="rosen"/>

''[[Le Figaro]]'''s Middle East blog reported that Bandar had been in a hospital in France, and was recuperating in Morocco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2010 |title=Prince Bandar missing |url=http://thegulfblog.com/tag/prince-bandar-missing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416173215/http://thegulfblog.com/tag/prince-bandar-missing/ |archive-date=16 April 2015 |website=Gulfblog}}</ref>

Iran's [[Press TV]] reported that Bandar was under house arrest for an attempted coup. Saudi opposition sources said he was in [[Dhahban Central Prison|Dhaban Prison]].<ref name="missingprince"/> Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran.<ref name="missingprince"/>

In October 2010, Middle East analyst Simon Henderson reported in ''Foreign Policy'' that Prince Bandar had made his first public appearance in almost two years. Citing official Saudi media, Henderson reported that Bandar had been greeted at the airport by "a virtual who's who of Saudi political figures." Henderson noted that no explanation had been given for the Prince's whereabouts for the previous two years—the only detail was that he had returned "from abroad." Henderson and other analysts viewed this reemergence as a sign of Bandar's rehabilitation into the active politics of the kingdom.<ref>Henderson, Simon. (21 October 2010). "Bandar Is Back," ''Foreign Policy''</ref>

In what was perceived as a return to prominence, in March 2011, Bandar was sent to [[Pakistan]], [[India]], [[Malaysia]], and China to gather support for [[Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain|Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain]].<ref name="rosen">Rosenberg, Matthew. (27 May 2011). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303654804576347282491615962 "Saudi Bid to Curb Iran Worries U.S."]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref><ref name="hannah"/> In April 2011, Bandar was present in meetings when U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] visited King Abdullah and in a separate visit by National Security Advisor [[Tom Donilon]].<ref name="hannah">{{cite news |author=Hannah |first=John |date=22 April 2011 |title=Shadow Government: Bandar's Return |url=http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/22/bandars_return |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510083559/http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/22/bandars_return |archive-date=10 May 2011 |access-date=14 May 2011 |work=Foreign Policy}}</ref>

The other goal of his late March 2011 visit to Islamabad was to raise the prospect of a return engagement for the [[Pakistan Army]]. The goal was achieved, and Pakistan quickly approved the proposal.<ref name="Riedel 2011">{{cite journal |author=Riedel |first=Bruce |year=2011 |title=Brezhnev in the Hejaz |url=http://www.relooney.info/SI_Milken-Arabia/0-Important_14.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The National Interest |volume=115 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115051640/http://www.relooney.info/SI_Milken-Arabia/0-Important_14.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2013}}</ref> His visit to China during the same period resulted in the issuing of lucrative contracts in return for political support. Since China was not a friend of the [[Arab Spring]], it was eager for Saudi oil and investment. Bandar secretly negotiated the first big Saudi-Chinese arms deal. Thus, Bandar was the Kingdom's premier China expert.<ref name="Riedel 2011"/>

==Director General of Saudi Intelligence Agency (2012–2014)==
Bandar was appointed director general of [[Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah|Saudi Intelligence Agency]] on 19 July 2012 replacing [[Muqrin bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud|Muqrin bin Abdulaziz]].<ref name=resaw>{{cite web|title=His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Sultan|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/princebandar.aspx|publisher=Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC|access-date=21 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921155740/http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/princebandar.aspx|archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Knickmeyer |first=Ellen |date=20 July 2012 |title=Saudi Appointment Suggests Bigger Regional Ambitions |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444097904577537311469944198?mod=googlenews_wsj |access-date=20 July 2012 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> Although no official reason for the appointment was provided,<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi king names ex-U.S. envoy as intelligence chief|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/meast/saudi-arabia-intelligence-chief/index.html|access-date=20 July 2012|work=CNN|date=19 July 2012}}</ref> the appointment occurred after growing tension between [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] and [[Shiites]] in the [[Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia|Eastern Province]] of Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite web|title=KSA: New Director for Spy Agency|url=http://me-confidential.com/5125-ksa-new-director-for-spy-agency.html|work=Middle East Confidential|access-date=20 July 2012|date=20 July 2012}}</ref> It was also considered as a move of Saudi Arabia to display more aggressive foreign policy given the regional challenges that comes from Iran and [[Syria]].<ref name=upi>{{cite news|title=New Saudi spymaster marks shift in policy|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2012/07/26/New-Saudi-spymaster-marks-shift-in-policy/UPI-59941343325566/|access-date=26 July 2012|work=United Press International|date=26 July 2012}}</ref> Prince Bandar is also a member of the Military Service Council.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi- Authority to monitor audiovisual media
|url=http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093553820/Saudi-Authority-to-monitor-audiovisual-media|access-date=4 September 2012|work=MEFAFN|date=4 September 2012|agency=Arab News|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814005012/http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093553820/Saudi-Authority-to-monitor-audiovisual-media|archive-date=14 August 2014}}</ref>

Bandar organised the visit of [[Manaf Tlass]], who defected from Syria on 6 July 2012, to Saudi Arabia in the last week of July 2012.<ref>{{cite news |author=Solomon |first=Jay |author2=Dagher |first2=Sam |date=26 July 2012 |title=Key Role Floated for Syrian Defector |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443931404577549261903962128?mod=googlenews_wsj |access-date=26 July 2012 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref>

In 2013 Bandar said that the Saudis would "shift away" from the United States over Syrian and Iranian policy.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Bakr |first=Amena |author2=McDowell |first2=Angus |date=22 October 2013 |title=Saudi Arabia to 'shift away from the US' over Iran, Syria, intelligence chief says |url=http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/22/21077703-saudi-arabia-to-shift-away-from-the-us-over-iran-syria-intelligence-chief-says |access-date=22 October 2013 |work=NBC News |agency=Reuters}}</ref>

According to a number of articles, Bandar, allegedly confronted [[Vladimir Putin]] in a bid to break the deadlock over Syria. This included security of winter Olympics in [[Sochi]] if there is no accord. "I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics next year. The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us," he allegedly said.<ref>{{cite news |author=Evans-Pritchard |first=Ambrose |date=27 August 2013 |title=Saudis offer Russia secret oil deal if it drops Syria |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10266957/Saudis-offer-Russia-secret-oil-deal-if-it-drops-Syria.html |access-date=3 November 2013 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London}}</ref> Putin then rejected the proposal furiously by saying "we know that you have supported the Chechen terrorist groups for a decade. And that support, which you have frankly talked about just now, is completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism that you mentioned."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyhy.net/saudi-intelligence-chief-back-in-russia-to-discuss-syria-crisis-550h.htm|title=Saudi Intelligence Chief Back in Russia to Discuss Syria Crisis|work=Daily HY|date=5 December 2013|access-date=8 December 2013|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209232325/http://www.dailyhy.net/saudi-intelligence-chief-back-in-russia-to-discuss-syria-crisis-550h.htm|archive-date=9 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Bandar had been tasked with managing Saudi policy in the [[Syrian Civil War]], but he was replaced in early 2014 by interior minister Prince [[Muhammad bin Nayef]]. Bandar took a confrontational tone with the United States and was called a "problem" privately by U.S. Secretary of State [[John Kerry]]. However, Bandar had also been struggling with poor health stemming from the 1977 plane crash, leading to speculation that this was why he was replaced.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Knickmeyer |first=Ellen |author2=Entous |first2=Adam |date=19 February 2014 |title=Saudi Arabia Replaces Key Official in Effort to Arm Syria Rebels |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303775504579392942097203608 |access-date=25 February 2014 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]] reportedly complained about secret Saudi Arabian support for militant groups saying, "They are attacking Iraq, through Syria and in a direct way, and they announced war on Iraq, as they announced it on Syria, and unfortunately it is on a sectarian and political basis."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1092028/saudi-arabia-and-qatar-in-war-on-iraq-maliki|title=Saudi Arabia and Qatar in war on Iraq|work=Dawn|access-date=15 March 2014}}</ref>

===Assassination rumors===
In July 2012, the rumours of his assassination were reported by [[DEBKAfile]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Saudi silence on intelligence chief Bandar's fate denotes panic|publisher=DEBKAfile|url=http://www.debka.com/article/22225/Saudi-silence-on-intelligence-chief-Bandar%E2%80%99s-fate-denotes-panic|access-date=31 January 2013|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132743/http://www.debka.com/article/22225/Saudi-silence-on-intelligence-chief-Bandar%E2%80%99s-fate-denotes-panic|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Morales |first=Eric |date=31 July 2012 |title=Report: Saudi intelligence chief murdered by Syrian hit men |url=http://digitaljournal.com/article/329747 |journal=Digital Journal}}</ref> and later published in ''[[Tehran Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-29 |title=U.S. reopens probe into bribery claims against Saudi prince |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/401372/U-S-reopens-probe-into-bribery-claims-against-Saudi-prince |access-date=5 August 2012 |website=Tehran Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Carroll |first=Rick |date=1 August 2012 |title=Commentary: Rumors fly of Bandar's death |url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20120801/NEWS/120809998 |url-status=dead |journal=Aspen Times |location=Aspen, Colorado |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909210749/http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20120801/NEWS/120809998 |archive-date=9 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Gardner-Smith |first=Brent |date=24 August 2012 |title=Bandar still alive, insiders say |url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20120824/NEWS/120829914 |url-status=dead |journal=Aspen Times |location=Aspen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128160756/http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20120824/NEWS/120829914 |archive-date=28 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Prince Bandar Bin Sultan: Is The Saudi Spy Chief Dead Or Alive?|journal=International Business Times|date=31 July 2012|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/prince-bandar-bin-sultan-saudi-spy-chief-dead-or-alive-734482}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Kalman |first=Aaron |date=30 July 2012 |title=Pro-Assad websites claim Syria has killed Saudi intelligence chief, to avenge Damascus bombing |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-assad-websites-claim-syria-has-killed-saudi-intelligence-chief-to-avenge-damascus-bombing/ |journal=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Black |first=Ian |author-link=Ian Black (journalist) |date=10 October 2012 |title=Prince Bandar bin Sultan – profile |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/10/prince-bandar-bin-sultan |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Walker |first=Richard |date=14 August 2012 |title=Was Saudi Arabia top spy assassinated? |url=http://americanfreepress.net/?p=5568 |work=American Free Press |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref> This news was denied by ''[[Arab News]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.com/thierry-meyssan-and-prince-bandar-bin-sultan|title=Thierry Meyssan and Prince Bandar bin Sultan|date=4 August 2012|website=Arab News}}</ref> and the journalist [[David Ignatius]].<ref>{{Cite news |author=Ignatius |first=David |author-link=David Ignatius |date=5 August 2012 |title=Is Saudi Arabia on the edge? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-is-saudi-arabia-on-the-edge/2012/08/05/6758c1e0-dd91-11e1-8e43-4a3c4375504a_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Kapoor |first=Talal |date=8 August 2012 |title=The Return of Bandar bin Sultan |url=http://www.datarabia.com/royals/viewCommentary.do?id=91959 |access-date=9 August 2012 |work=Datarabia |format=Commentary}}</ref>

In August 2013, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that Bandar had been appointed to lead Saudi Arabia's efforts to topple Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]]. According these reports Bandar acted as the lynchpin in arming the jihadis fighting Assad. The US Central Intelligence Agency considered this a sign of how serious Saudi Arabia was about this aim.<ref name=adnoma/> The ''Journal'' reported that in late 2012 Saudi intelligence, under Bandar's direction, began efforts to convince the US that the Assad government was using chemical weapons.

Bandar was also described as "jetting from covert command centers near the Syrian front lines to the Élysée Palace in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, seeking to undermine the Assad regime." He had a simple message: my kingdom has the money needed to defeat Assad—and we're ready to use it.<ref name="adnoma">{{cite news |author=Entous |first=Adam |author2=Malas |first2=Nour |author3=Coker |first3=Margaret |date=25 August 2013 |title=A Veteran Saudi Power Player Works To Build Support to Topple Assad |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323423804579024452583045962 |access-date=30 August 2013 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

On 15 April 2014, Bandar was removed from his position "at his own request" according to the announcement in the Saudi state media.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/15/saudi-arabia-replaces-intelligence-chief|title=Saudi Arabia replaces intelligence chief|agency=Agence France-Presse|newspaper=The Guardian|date=15 April 2014|access-date=17 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=16 April 2014 |title=Saudi intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan Removed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27047856 |work=BBC News}}</ref> He remained as secretary general of the National Security Council until it was abolished in January 2015.

==Views==
Bandar considers himself an American Hamiltonian conservative.<ref name="New Yorker"/> Before the [[2000 U.S. presidential election]] was decided, he invited George H. W. Bush to go pheasant shooting on his English estate in a "Desert Storm reunion".<ref name="New Yorker"/> After the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, in an interview in ''The New York Times'', he stated, "Bin Laden used to come to us when ''America'' through the CIA and Saudi Arabia were helping our brother mujahideen in Afghanistan to get rid of the communist secularist Soviet Union forces. Osama bin Laden came and said 'Thank you. Thank you for bringing the Americans to help us.' At that time, I thought he couldn't lead eight ducks across the street."<ref>{{cite journal |author=Dudney |first=Robert S. |date=December 2001 |title=Verbatim Special: War on Terror |url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2001/December%202001/1201verb.pdf |url-status=usurped |journal=Air Force Magazine |pages=40–48 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120161139/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2001/December%202001/1201verb.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2012 |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref>

Bandar argued some researchers "learn to speak a few words of Arabic and call themselves experts about the affairs of my country."<ref>{{cite journal |author=Ahrari |first=M. Ehsan |year=1999 |title=Saudi Arabia: A Simmering Cauldron of Instability? |url=http://www.watsoninstitute.org/bjwa/archive/6.2/Essay/Ahrari.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The Brown Journal of World Affair |volume=VI |issue=2 |pages=209–222 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107151901/http://www.watsoninstitute.org/bjwa/archive/6.2/Essay/Ahrari.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
Bandar is the recipient of [[Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud|the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud]], the Hawk Flying Medal of Aviation and the King Faisal Medal.<ref name=resaw/> In 2001, he was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of law by [[Howard University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Commencement 2000|url=http://www.founders.howard.edu/commencement2000/Ibn_Abdulaziz_Bandar_Ibn_Sultan.HTM|publisher=Howard University|access-date=30 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715071030/http://www.founders.howard.edu/Commencement2000/Ibn_Abdulaziz_Bandar_Ibn_Sultan.HTM|archive-date=15 July 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2002, he received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Quincy Jones]] at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service|access-date=27 April 2021}}</ref>

==Controversy==
Bandar endured controversy over allegations in the book ''[[Plan of Attack]]'' by [[Bob Woodward]] that President George W. Bush informed him of the decision to [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invade]] Iraq ahead of Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]].<ref>Woodward, 269.</ref> 

{{See also|Al-Yamamah arms deal}}
Bandar helped negotiate the 1985 Al Yamamah deal, a series of massive arms sales by the [[United Kingdom]] to Saudi Arabia worth [[Pound sterling|£]]40 billion, including the sale of more than 100 warplanes. After the deal was signed, British arms manufacturer British Aerospace (now [[BAE Systems]]) allegedly funnelled secret payments of at least £1 billion into two Saudi embassy accounts in Washington, in yearly instalments of up to £120 million over at least 10 years. He allegedly took money for personal use out of the accounts, as the purpose of one of the accounts was to pay the operating expenses of his private [[Airbus A340]]. According to investigators, there was "no distinction between the accounts of the embassy, or official government accounts [...], and the accounts of the royal family." The payments were discovered during a [[Serious Fraud Office (UK)|Serious Fraud Office]] investigation, which was stopped in December 2006 by attorney general [[Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith|Lord Goldsmith]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi prince 'received arms cash'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6728773.stm|access-date=22 July 2012|work=BBC|date=7 June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060701301.html|title=Saudi Reportedly Got $2 Billion for British Arms Deal|date=8 June 2007|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=23 February 2021|language=en}}</ref> In 2009, he hired [[Louis Freeh]] as his legal representative for the Al-Yamamah arms scandal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/04/louis-freeh-interview.html|title=Frontline:Black Money, Extended Interview with Louis Freeh|website=[[PBS]] |date=7 April 2009}}</ref>

A court affidavit filed on 3 February 2015 claims that [[Zacarias Moussaoui]] was a courier between Osama bin Laden and Turki bin Faisal Al Saud in the late 1990s, and that Turki introduced Moussaoui to Bandar.<ref name="CNN-20150204">{{cite news |date=4 February 2015 |title=New allegations of Saudi involvement in 9/11 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/politics/9-11-attacks-saudi-arabia-involvement/index.html |access-date=4 February 2015 |work=CNN}}</ref> Zacarias Moussaoui stated on oath and wrote to Judge [[George B. Daniels]] that Saudi royal family members, including Prince Bandar, donated to Al-Qaeda and helped finance the 11 September attacks.<ref>{{Cite news |author1=Hubbard |first=Ben |author2=Shane |first2=Scott |date=4 February 2015 |title=Pre-9/11 Ties Haunt Saudis as New Accusations Surface |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/world/middleeast/pre-9-11-ties-haunt-saudis-as-new-accusations-surface.html |access-date=25 April 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Saudi government continues to deny any involvement in the 9/11 plot, and claims there is no evidence to support Moussaoui's allegations in spite of numerous previous intense investigations, noting that Moussaoui's own lawyers presented evidence of his mental incompetence during his trial.<ref name="CNN-20150204"/> Leaked information from the redacted portion of the 9/11 Commission Report states that two of the 9/11 hijackers' Saudi handler received $US130,000 in payment from Bandar's bank account.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Sperry |first=Paul |date=17 April 2016 |title=How US covered up Saudi role in 9/11 |url=https://nypost.com/2016/04/17/how-us-covered-up-saudi-role-in-911/ |work=The New York Post}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1972, Bandar married [[Haifa bint Faisal]], with whom he had eight children: four sons and four daughters.<ref name=resaw/>

His daughter Princess [[Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud|Reema bint Bandar]], who was formerly married to Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser Al Saud,<ref>{{cite web|title=His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|url=http://www.sens.org.sa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=64&lang=en|work=Saudi Environmental Society (SENS)|access-date=5 April 2012|url-status= dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103062750/http://www.sens.org.sa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=64&lang=en|archive-date=3 November 2013}}</ref> is the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, being the first woman to hold such position in the Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ambassador|url=https://www.saudiembassy.net/ambassador|access-date=14 March 2021|publisher=The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia}}</ref> His son [[Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud (born 1977)|Khalid]] is the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/1483626/saudi-arabia|title=Who's Who: Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi ambassador to the UK|date=17 April 2019|website=Arab News|access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> and is married to Lucy Cuthbert, niece of [[Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/another-royal-wedding-saudi-prince-marries-englishwoman/|title=Another royal wedding: Saudi prince marries Englishwoman|work=CBS News|date=30 March 2011|access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Saudi prince weds in Oxford register office
|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/8937933.Saudi_prince_weds_in_Oxford_register_office/|access-date=11 November 2020|newspaper=The Oxford Times|date=29 March 2011}}</ref> Another of his sons, [[Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud|Faisal]], has been the president of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) and the Arab eSports Federation since 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|url=https://www.arabnet.me/english/speakers/hrh-prince-faisal-bin-bandar-bin-sultan-bin-abdulaziz?popup=1|work=Arabnet|access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref>

The youngest two (Hussa and Abdulaziz) attended [[Potomac School (McLean, Virginia)|Potomac School]] in [[McLean, Virginia]], while living in Washington from 2001 to 2005. Abdulaziz also attended [[Abingdon School]] from 2008 to 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://britishfencing.com/uploads/html/public-schools-results/2010/bje.htm|title=Public Schools' Fencing Championships|work=British Fencing|access-date=3 January 2017|archive-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104001948/http://britishfencing.com/uploads/html/public-schools-results/2010/bje.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Habits and health concerns===
Known for his cigar smoking,<ref>{{cite news |author=Curiel |first=Jonathan |date=10 December 2006 |title=U.S. planning to promote democracy in Muslim nations/Campaign draws mixed reviews |url=https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Prince-Turki-al-Faisal-goes-to-Washington-New-2483194.php |work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> he usually wears European clothes,<ref name="kingsmessenger124">{{cite book |author=Ottaway |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdIZhiQxGxEC&q=%22more+than+occasional+drinker%22&pg=PA124 |title=The king's messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America's tangled |publisher=Walker Publishing Company |year=2008 |isbn=9780802777645 |location=New York |page=124}}</ref> and he likes American colloquialisms and American history.<ref name="kingsmessenger124"/> In the mid-1990s, he suffered his first depression.<ref name="npr">{{cite web |author=Henderson |first=Simon |date=22 October 2010 |title=Foreign Policy: A Prince's Mysterious Disappearance |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130747807&ft=1&f=1014 |publisher=NPR}}</ref> His health problems were reported to have continued into the 2010s, often being treated abroad.<ref>{{cite news |author=Black |first=Ian |date=16 April 2014 |title=End of an era as Prince Bandar departs Saudi intelligence post |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/16/prince-bandar-saudi-intelligence-syria |access-date=17 April 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

===Property===
He travels frequently on his private Airbus A340.<ref name="New Yorker"/> He owned [[Glympton Park]], Oxfordshire, until March 2021 when he sold the property to the [[King of Bahrain]]’s family.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Hipwell |first=Deirdre |author2=Nereim |first2=Vivian |author3=Harvey |first3=Benjamin |date=2 April 2021 |title=Saudi Prince Sells English Country Estate to King of Bahrain |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-02/saudi-prince-sells-english-country-estate-to-king-of-bahrain |access-date=14 April 2021 |work=Bloomberg}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Leigh |first=David |title=Secrets of al Yamamah |url=https://www.theguardian.com/baefiles/page/0,,2095831,00.html |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref>

Bandar owned an estate with a 32-room house in [[Aspen, Colorado|Aspen]], Colorado. He bought the land in 1989 and built the residence in 1991.<ref name=adnews12/> On 12 July 2006, it was reported that Prince Bandar was seeking to sell his {{convert|56000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mansion in Aspen, Colorado, for US$135 million. The palatial vacation home, called [[Hala Ranch]], is larger than the White House, is perched on a mountaintop of {{convert|95|acre|m2}}, and includes 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms featuring 24-karat gold fixtures. In December 2006, the mansion was still listed for sale at $135 million.<ref name=arnaud/> In December 2007, the {{convert|14395|sqft|m2|adj=on}} guesthouse was sold for a reported $36.5&nbsp;m.<ref name="aspentimes">{{cite web |author=Carroll |first=Rick |title=Pitkin County real estate sales dip in '07 |url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080103/MOUNTAIN04/895711433 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810092928/http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080103/MOUNTAIN04/895711433 |archive-date=10 August 2009 |access-date=10 February 2009}}</ref> The purported reason for the sale is that Bandar was too busy to enjoy the mansion.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12549068 AP: Saudi prince asking $135M for Colo. home], NBC News 12 July 2006.</ref> Finally, he sold his Aspen ranch for $49 million to Starwood Mountain Ranch LLC in June 2012.<ref name=adnews12>{{cite news|title=Saudi prince sells Aspen ranch for $49M|url=http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_20768295/saudi-prince-sells-aspen-ranch-49m|access-date=3 June 2012|newspaper=Aspen Daily News|date=2 June 2012}}</ref> It is reported that billionaire [[John Paulson]] bought Hala Ranch,<ref>{{cite news |author=Carmiel |first=Oshrat |author2=Bit |first2=Kelly |date=5 June 2012 |title=Paulson Buys Saudi Prince's Ranch In $49 Million Deal |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-05/paulson-buys-saudi-prince-s-ranch-in-49-million-deal.html |access-date=5 June 2012 |work=Bloomberg}}</ref> and Paulson confirmed this.<ref>{{cite news |author=Brennan |first=Morgan |date=5 June 2012 |title=Billionaire John Paulson Confirms $49 Million Purchase of Hala Ranch |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/06/05/billionaire-john-paulson-confirms-his-purchase-of-hala-ranch-for-49-million/ |access-date=9 June 2012 |work=Forbes}}</ref>

===Membership===
Bandar is a board member of the [[Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Who are we?|url=http://www.sultanfoundation.com/Pages.aspx?id=1|work=Sultan Foundation|access-date=4 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209003532/http://sultanfoundation.com/Pages.aspx?id=1|archive-date=9 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Donations===
In 1990, Bandar donated an unknown amount to finance construction of the [[Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies]] (OCIS).<ref>{{cite journal |author=Riddel |first=Peter |year=2009 |title=The call to Islam: Diverse methods and varied responses |url=http://www.sttonline.org/files/STT09_1_Riddell_EN.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Stuttgarter Theologische Themen |volume=IV |pages=35–59 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073932/http://www.sttonline.org/files/STT09_1_Riddell_EN.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*{{C-SPAN|16094}}
{{Commons category|Bandar bin Sultan}}
* October 2020 Al Arabiya interview: [https://english.alarabiya.net/features/2020/10/05/Full-transcript-Part-one-of-Prince-Bandar-bin-Sultan-s-interview-with-Al-Arabiya Full transcript: Prince Bandar bin Sultan's interview on Israel-Palestine conflict].

{{Presidents of GIP |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Bandar Sultan}}
[[Category:20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Saudi Arabian diplomats]]
[[Category:21st-century Saudi Arabian diplomats]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to the United States|Saud]]
[[Category:Deans of the Diplomatic Corps to the United States]]
[[Category:Directors of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah|Saud]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]
[[Category:Princes of Saudi Arabia|Bandar Sultan]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Royal Saudi Air Force personnel]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian people of Ethiopian descent]]
[[Category:Reagan Era]]