The Royal Court announced the demise of Prince Muhammad, 68, while under treatment in the United States, on Sunday.

The plane carrying the body is scheduled to arrive in Jeddah at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. His son Prince Turki bin Muhammad, who was with him in the US, will accompany him in the plane from the US.

The condolence meeting will be held at the home of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal in the Basatin district in Jeddah.

Prince Khaled was in constant touch with Prince Muhammad while he was in Jeddah. He often called him to learn about his health condition.

Prince Muhammad maintained his poise until the last with staunch faith in the mercy of Almighty Allah, a relative said. He used to joke with those around him even two days before he died, the relative said.

The people, from all walks of life, particularly sports and literary circles in the Kingdom received the news of the prince’s death with shock Sunday night. Mourners flocked to the bereaved family since the news of the prince's death was published.

The prince was keen on sports development in the Kingdom, and was a keen exponent of developing all facets of sports and in every discipline. The prince was also a leading poet with a penchant for lyricism. He was also a poet of great merit and many Arab singers put the lyrics written by the prince to tune and melody.

Prince Muhammad, a former president of the Al-Ahli Club and an honorary member, has been a pillar of strength for the premier Jeddah club throughout his life. He served as president of several companies including the Al-Faisaliah Group Holding Company.

The prince was born in Makkah on Dec. 1 1943 as the second son of Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal. After

primary education in Taif, the prince had his secondary and university education in Switzerland. He joined the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) after receiving his bachelor's degree in business studies in 1967. Since 1972 he took up various positions in the Ministry of Education including the director of organization and administration, director general of foreign delegations and cultural relations, director general of administrative and financial affairs and assistant undersecretary for administrative and financial affairs.

The prince was the real driving force behind the successes of Al-Ahli club. He served as the president of the Al-Ahli Club in 1980 and head of the council of its honorary members until 2002. He also supervised the football department at the club in the period between 1998 to 2002. He laid down the professional structure of the club and also made it function in an organizational manner and administrative structure for the football section.

His poetic works are published in the four collections “Messages of Love,” “Whispering of the Heart,” “Lanes in the Night” and “the Latest. “Another collection of his poetic works is “the End of the Trip.”

He is also considered the pioneer of lyrics in Saudi Arabia.

His lectures on literature are numerous and was well attended.

“With the death of Prince Muhammad I have lost a brother friend and a multifaceted personality with vast experience in diverse fields,” said vice president

of the council of honorary members of the Al-Hilal Club Prince Bandar bin Muhammad. He remembered that Prince Muhammad was once proposed to the chairmanship of the Hilal Club but begged off with all humbleness.

Honorary Member of the Al-Nasr Club Prince Talal bin Saud said he was so saddened by the death of the prince that he himself needed to be consoled. “After the prince’s illness was diagnosed he spoke to me with confidence that the ailment would be cured soon. He asked me to meet him shortly on his return from the US and reassured me about his health condition,” Prince Talal said.

Former president of the Al-Ahli Club, Ahmad Al-Marzouqi, said the prince’s death is not only a great loss to the club but also to the entire Saudi football.

“He has left indelible impressions not only on Al-Ahli but on the entire Saudi sports scene. He is the one who brought a professional approach in the club, and he introduced morning coaching sessions to players besides providing them with training on computers,” Al-Marzouqi said.

The arts world was also deeply saddened by the death of the prince. “Nobody would dispute the influence of the prince on Saudi poetry, especially lyrics. I cannot sum up his contributions in a few sentences,” said singer and composer Abadi Al-Jauhar.

“With the prince’s death we have lost our beloved teacher who used to guide and help us, “ said composer Talal Baghar.