The Travels of the Late King Saud After His Departure from the Kingdom (1965–1969)
King Saud—may God have mercy upon him—left his homeland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for the final time in his life on 7 January 1965, accompanied by several of his sons, his wife, and nearly forty members of his entourage, bound for Vienna. His aircraft stopped briefly in Beirut for fifty minutes, where one of his wives residing in Lebanon—the mother of Khalid bin Saud—boarded the plane to greet him, along with several of his children, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, al‑Kuḥaymī, and ʿIzzat Khurshīd, Director of Lebanese Protocol.
Upon his arrival in Vienna, His Majesty was admitted directly to the hospital for treatment. On 19 January 1965, Prince Khalid bin Saud informed journalists that his father was suffering from high blood pressure, kidney ailments, and heart disease, and that he would remain under medical care in Vienna for a period of examination and treatment.
After completing this phase of treatment, King Saud left the hospital and traveled to Greece, where he resided in the Kafouri district on the Mediterranean coast near Athens, staying at the Kafouri Hotel, which he rented for himself and his entourage, twelve miles from the capital. During his stay in Greece, he made several internal trips, including to Kamena Vourla, known for its therapeutic baths, and to the Greek islands, visiting Crete and Rhodes before returning to Athens.
He also made two journeys to Spain, one of them by sea. He traveled to Rome, then by car to Naples, from where he sailed to Barcelona to consult the renowned ophthalmologist Professor Brückner, before returning to Greece and later visiting Majorca.
Despite the beauty of these places, King Saud was not content spending such a long period in the West, far from any Islamic country. He therefore requested permission from President Gamal Abdel Nasser to reside in Cairo and spend the month of Ramadan there. President Nasser welcomed the idea and invited him to Egypt. King Saud arrived in Cairo on 18 December 1966 aboard a private aircraft of the Arab Airlines Company, accompanied by his sons—Princes Badr, Mansour, Thamir, and Majid—and other members of his family. He was received at the airport by Cairo’s governor, Saad Zayed, and Prince Khalid bin Saud, who oversaw arrangements for his stay.
On 20 December 1966, President Nasser received King Saud at his home in Manshiyat al‑Bakri, accompanied by the King’s sons. On 1 January 1967, President Nasser returned the visit, calling on King Saud at the Shepheard Hotel, accompanied by Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer, First Vice President, and Anwar al‑Sadat, Speaker of the National Assembly.
During his stay in Cairo, King Saud first resided on the eighth floor of the Shepheard Hotel, then moved to a state guest palace which he purchased from the Egyptian government. While in Egypt, he visited Alexandria, Aswan, and Nubia, and later traveled to Ethiopia, where he met Emperor Haile Selassie in Massawa, receiving a warm welcome. He also visited Sana’a in Yemen before returning to Egypt during the 1967 Israeli aggression, donating ten million Egyptian pounds to the war effort.
Afterward, he returned to Greece aboard the ship Algeria on 23 September 1967 for rest and medical examinations under the supervision of his personal physician, Dr. Villinger, in Vienna, and for dental treatment. He then returned to Cairo to spend Ramadan on 25 November 1967.
On 2 January 1968, he underwent an emergency appendectomy at the Armed Forces Hospital in Maadi, performed by Major General Dr. Abdel‑Majid Shahdi, under the supervision of his personal physician, Dr. Holzer. President Nasser visited him at home on 12 January 1968 following his recovery.
King Saud then returned to Vienna for further examinations, and subsequently traveled to Greece on 17 February 1968, where he was received by the city’s mayor and several government officials. He later returned to Cairo until 30 March 1968, then departed again for Athens for treatment of joint pain. He returned once more to Cairo, remaining there until 6 October 1968, when he traveled to London for medical care. During his stay in London, he attended a session of the British Parliament.
He continued to travel annually to Vienna for medical examinations under the supervision of Professor Villinger. Ultimately, he returned to reside in Greece on 17 December 1968. When asked by journalists how long he intended to stay in Athens this time, he replied simply that he did not know—as though sensing that his final days would be spent there. Indeed, he remained in Greece until his passing on Sunday, 23 February 1969, at 4:20 p.m., after suffering a heart attack.
King Saud—may God have mercy upon him—left his homeland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for the final time in his life on 7 January 1965, accompanied by several of his sons, his wife, and nearly forty members of his entourage, bound for Vienna. His aircraft stopped briefly in Beirut for fifty minutes, where one of his wives residing in Lebanon—the mother of Khalid bin Saud—boarded the plane to greet him, along with several of his children, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, al‑Kuḥaymī, and ʿIzzat Khurshīd, Director of Lebanese Protocol.
Upon his arrival in Vienna, His Majesty was admitted directly to the hospital for treatment. On 19 January 1965, Prince Khalid bin Saud informed journalists that his father was suffering from high blood pressure, kidney ailments, and heart disease, and that he would remain under medical care in Vienna for a period of examination and treatment.
After completing this phase of treatment, King Saud left the hospital and traveled to Greece, where he resided in the Kafouri district on the Mediterranean coast near Athens, staying at the Kafouri Hotel, which he rented for himself and his entourage, twelve miles from the capital. During his stay in Greece, he made several internal trips, including to Kamena Vourla, known for its therapeutic baths, and to the Greek islands, visiting Crete and Rhodes before returning to Athens.
He also made two journeys to Spain, one of them by sea. He traveled to Rome, then by car to Naples, from where he sailed to Barcelona to consult the renowned ophthalmologist Professor Brückner, before returning to Greece and later visiting Majorca.
Despite the beauty of these places, King Saud was not content spending such a long period in the West, far from any Islamic country. He therefore requested permission from President Gamal Abdel Nasser to reside in Cairo and spend the month of Ramadan there. President Nasser welcomed the idea and invited him to Egypt. King Saud arrived in Cairo on 18 December 1966 aboard a private aircraft of the Arab Airlines Company, accompanied by his sons—Princes Badr, Mansour, Thamir, and Majid—and other members of his family. He was received at the airport by Cairo’s governor, Saad Zayed, and Prince Khalid bin Saud, who oversaw arrangements for his stay.
On 20 December 1966, President Nasser received King Saud at his home in Manshiyat al‑Bakri, accompanied by the King’s sons. On 1 January 1967, President Nasser returned the visit, calling on King Saud at the Shepheard Hotel, accompanied by Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer, First Vice President, and Anwar al‑Sadat, Speaker of the National Assembly.
During his stay in Cairo, King Saud first resided on the eighth floor of the Shepheard Hotel, then moved to a state guest palace which he purchased from the Egyptian government. While in Egypt, he visited Alexandria, Aswan, and Nubia, and later traveled to Ethiopia, where he met Emperor Haile Selassie in Massawa, receiving a warm welcome. He also visited Sana’a in Yemen before returning to Egypt during the 1967 Israeli aggression, donating ten million Egyptian pounds to the war effort.
Afterward, he returned to Greece aboard the ship Algeria on 23 September 1967 for rest and medical examinations under the supervision of his personal physician, Dr. Villinger, in Vienna, and for dental treatment. He then returned to Cairo to spend Ramadan on 25 November 1967.
On 2 January 1968, he underwent an emergency appendectomy at the Armed Forces Hospital in Maadi, performed by Major General Dr. Abdel‑Majid Shahdi, under the supervision of his personal physician, Dr. Holzer. President Nasser visited him at home on 12 January 1968 following his recovery.
King Saud then returned to Vienna for further examinations, and subsequently traveled to Greece on 17 February 1968, where he was received by the city’s mayor and several government officials. He later returned to Cairo until 30 March 1968, then departed again for Athens for treatment of joint pain. He returned once more to Cairo, remaining there until 6 October 1968, when he traveled to London for medical care. During his stay in London, he attended a session of the British Parliament.
He continued to travel annually to Vienna for medical examinations under the supervision of Professor Villinger. Ultimately, he returned to reside in Greece on 17 December 1968. When asked by journalists how long he intended to stay in Athens this time, he replied simply that he did not know—as though sensing that his final days would be spent there. Indeed, he remained in Greece until his passing on Sunday, 23 February 1969, at 4:20 p.m., after suffering a heart attack.