Saudi Arabian crown prince dies at New York hospital

 

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud died at a New York hospital, kingdom officials said Saturday.

No other details about his death were immediately available, but arrangements are under way to transport his body back to Saudi Arabia, officials said.

Crown Prince Sultan, thought to be in his 80s, was Saudi Arabia's minister of defense, and was one of the top figures in the Saudi kingdom. He's had various medical issues in recent years.

In 2009, he was in New York for surgery for an undisclosed illness and had also flown to Morocco for medical treatment over the years.

The country's royal court released a statement about the death Saturday.

"King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince ... Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud," the statement said.

The statement also said he died "outside the kingdom following an illness," but did not release details on the ailment.

Reports in recent years have indicated that Crown Prince Sultan was battling cancer.

King Abdullah's half-brother was the desert kingdom's defense minister for decades, meeting regularly with visiting dignitaries.

He took a leading role in Saudi Arabia's involvement in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq, heading a coalition of about half a million troops from more than 30 countries.

Of his many children, perhaps the best known internationally is Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the United States.

Prince Bandar served as ambassador from 1983 to 2005 and was friends with the family of President George W. Bush.

Royal wedding cell phone for sale

With this ‘ring’, I thee wed.
UK electronic shops are now offering up a special, commemorative cell phone, designed around the upcoming marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
While you may still not have a picture of your own partner on your mobile device, the inexpensive Alcatel cellular comes complete with an official Kate and William screen shot, along with the initials C and W on the back. There’s also the wedding date engraved there, so you’ll remember that — but not your own.
And as you’re flying the flag on someone else’s big day, owners can also wave the ‘Union Jack’, thanks to a red, white and blue colored scheme.
The ring tone? It’s apparently ‘no’ to Billy Idol’s White Wedding. Instead, a more classy Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.
The phone will only cost around $24 Can, which is likely a whole lot cheaper than a royal side-by-side fridge and freezer, which is now reportedly being sold by a UK distributor of GE appliances. The price on that bit of kitchenware, adorned with a large regal image of the bride and groom, has not been released.
Though, no matter the deal, you can’t carry it close to your heart, like you can the souvenir phone. Because what’s a wedding, without someone’s cell going off in the middle of the ceremony?