Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (born 21 October 1969) is

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and Prime Minister of Bahrain. He is also the deputy supreme commander of the

Bahrain Defence Force The Bahrain Defence Force (, abbreviated BDF) is the military force of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahrain Defence Force is under the direct command and leadership of a commander-in-chief who holds the rank of field marshal. The Government has ...

Early life and education

Prince Salman is the eldest son of King

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. Early life and education Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. ...

of Bahrain and his first wife, Princess Sabika bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa. The Prince completed his

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

education at Bahrain School, and then went on to earn a BA degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

in Washington D.C. (1992), followed by a M.Phil. degree in

history and philosophy of science The history and philosophy of science (HPS) is an academic discipline that encompasses the philosophy of science and the history of science. Although many scholars in the field are trained primarily as either historians or as philosophers, there ...

from

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

, England (1994). Prince Salman established the ''Crown Prince's International Scholarship Program'' in 1999 to guide Bahrain's young people into the 21st century. Under the program, the most able high school students from Bahrain are awarded

scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research ...

to continue their higher education overseas, and return to productively contribute to the development of Bahrain. More than 260 students from across Bahrain's society have been awarded the scholarship, and have had the opportunity to study abroad – including the UK, the USA and France.

Career

Prior to assuming the duties of crown prince, Salman was vice-chairman of the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) (1992–1995), Undersecretary of Defence at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

(1995–1999), and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the BCSR (1995–1999). Salman was sworn in as ''Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain'' on 9 March 1999 and held the post of commander-in-chief of the

from 22 March 1999 to 6 January 2008. On 24 February 2001, Prince Salman was appointed as chairman of the committee for the implementation of the National Action Charter. The Charter was approved by over 98% in a referendum held in February 2001 and provided a comprehensive blueprint for Bahrain's future development based on transparency, cooperation and popular participation. The committee proposed a number of laws to implement the National Charter, including laws on government procurements and

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...

. On 3 March 2002, Prince Salman was appointed chairman of the Economic Development Board, which is responsible for formulating and overseeing the Bahrain's economic development strategy, and aims to attract

foreign direct investment A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an ownership stake in a company, made by a foreign investor, company, or government from another country. More specifically, it describes a controlling ownership an asset in one country by an entity based i ...

into Bahrain. He also chairs the following committees: * Government Executive Committee * Natural Resources and Economic Security Committee * Higher Urban Planning Committee On 6 January 2008, King Hamad issued a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

appointing Salman as deputy supreme commander of the Bahrain Defence Force to oversee the management and implementation of public policy as well as military, administrative, economic and financial plans of the Bahrain defence force and the national guard. In March 2013, Prince Salman was appointed by the King as the first deputy prime minister, charged with overseeing the ongoing development of executive agencies and government institutions in the kingdom. On 11 November 2020, Prince Salman was appointed as Prime Minister after the death of his great uncle, Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman, who had held the position for more than fifty years. On 19 September 2022, he attended the

state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. Elizabeth's reign of 70 years and 214 days was the List of monarchs in Britain by length of ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Marriage and children

Prince Salman was married to Sheikha Hala bint Duaij Al Khalifa until 2005. Sheikha Hala was the youngest daughter of Sheikh Duaij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. Hala was honorary president of the Information Centre for Women and Children, and Chair of the Bahrain Society for Mental Retardation. She died in June 2018. They have two sons and two daughters: *Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 7 March 1990), attended

in Washington DC, and graduated in 2012. He is second in the line of succession to the Bahraini throne. Married, has three sons named Hamad, Abdullah and Salman. *Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 11 November 1992), educated at Bahrain School (Class of 2009). He graduated from the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

in 2011 and later went on to graduate from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

in 2015. He is sixth in the line of succession to the Bahraini throne. Married, has a son Ahmad and a daughter Basma. *Fatima – Al Dana bint Salman Al Khalifa *Al Jude bint Salman Al Khalifa

Honours and awards

Salman has been awarded a number of honors, including: * An

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

in conjunction with the Order of the Eagle Exemplar by the United States Sports Academy (USSA). * Bahrain: Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (Wisam al-Shaikh 'Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa), First Class * Bahrain: Order of Ahmad the Conqueror (Wisam Ahmad al-Fateh), First Class * Bahrain: King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, First Class * Bahrain: Order of Bahrain (Wisam al-Bahrein), First Class * Bahrain: Hawar Medal (Wisam al-Hawar), First Class * Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Wisam al-Nahda) * Kuwait:

Order of the Liberation The Order of Liberation (, ) is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a worn by recipients only before the ''Légion d’Honneur'' (Legion of Honour). In the official portrait of Ge ...

(Wisam al-Tahrir), First Class * UAE: Collar of the Order of Etihad * USA: Golden Plate Award,

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

Ancestry

Motorsport

In April 2007, Khalifa bought 30% of the ART Grand Prix team.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalifa, Salman Hamad 1969 births Living people American University School of Public Affairs alumni Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Salman Deputy prime ministers of Bahrain Salman Salman Crown princes Sons of kings Recipients of Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Jordan)