RIYADH, 28 July — Prince Fahd ibn Salman, who died of heart attack on Wednesday, was a philanthropist to the core as his heart beat for the needy and the poor. He was also a gentle and caring father who always took time off his busy schedule to be with his children.
“He lived to bring happiness to others, especially the poor and the needy,” recollected his eldest son, Prince Sultan. And the radiance of the late Prince Fahd’s smile touched the lives of many others. Prince Sultan told Arab News: “My father always had a ready smile for others, even if he was troubled or grappling with a problem. And he went out of his way to make them happy, either with a smile, gesture or any form of assistance.”
But it was the other side of the late prince that the bereaved Prince Sultan recalled. “He was a loving and caring father to us,” he said. The late Prince Fahd made it a custom to be with his children and family by 7.30 every night. He used to watch television programs with them before going to bed. “He used to take my little sister Reema to bed with him every night,” Prince Sultan said.
Before he went abroad for higher studies, Prince Sultan and his father used to meet at Prince Salman’s house every day for lunch. “We had a bet. If he reached my grandpa’s home first we would play golf either on computer or at the links. If I reached ahead of him then he had to play football.”
Prince Sultan said that his father used to select the video films for them to view together after dinner. “A day before his death, he gave us the option of selecting the film which we wanted to see. It was the last film we watched together,” the prince said. “On Tuesday evening, a day before his death, when my brother Ahmad and myself were swimming in the pool, our father told us, ‘Sultan, you should cut back on your eating, and you Ahmad, should exercise more.”
Prince Sultan also has vivid recollections of the times with his father during the Gulf War. “I used to walk with my father on the streets of the Eastern Province, during the Gulf War to inquire about the welfare of people.” Prince Fahd was then the deputy governor of the region.
“We traveled regularly from Dammam to Riyadh by train, sitting with the general public and it was just wonderful,” the prince added. “On another occasion, the graduation ceremony at my school marking the completion of my secondary education, I was to deliver a speech. Prince Salman, my grandfather, was the chief guest. My father had instructed me to deliver the speech slowly and confidently. But due to stage fright, I was reading out the speech at a quick pace. From the audience he indicated to me to slow down and I followed his instruction and the speech, from that point, went down very well. Later, he advised me that I should address the audience with confidence.”
Prince Sultan, who at times during the interview found it difficult to control his grief, was all praise for his father’s humanitarian disposition. “It is a tremendous loss for me. I am heart-broken. But I am also crying knowing that many people, who have received his love and care, too must be feeling the loss,” said the bereaved son of Prince Fahd.
