Kuwaiti Emir Nawaf Al Sabah Dies. Prince William Travels to Kuwait to Offer Condolences

 

The Prince of Wales made a last-minute business trip before Christmas to Kuwait to pay respect to  Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who died on Saturday, December 16, at the age of 86,  

Prince William represented his father, King Charles III, who also visited Kuwait in September 2020 to pay his last respects to Nawaf's predecessor and half-brother, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He was accompanied by British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron. 

Prince William and David Cameron, Britain's former prime minister and now Foreign Secretary, are greeted by Kuwaiti foreign officials upon arrival

The late Emir had been suffering from health issues since ascending to the Kuwaiti throne at the age of 83 in September 2020. In 2021, it was reported that he received treatment in the United States for an unspecified medical condition.

On November 29, 2023, Nawaf was admitted to the hospital following an undisclosed illness. He was later declared in stable condition. On Saturday, December 16, his office announced his passing at the age of 86. 

His reign, three years and three months, was one of the shortest in Kuwaiti history, however, His Highness had been serving the Kuwaiti government for decades before becoming the country's Emir.

The Kuwaiti government declared 40 days of mourning in the country, with state offices also closed for three days. The funeral was limited to his family and held at the Bilal bin Rabah mosque in the al-Siddiq region, after which he was buried in Sulaibikhat Cemetery.

Sending our deep condolences to the Kuwaiti royal family for the death of Emir Nawaf.

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Who is Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah?

His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was born on June 25, 1937. He was the sixth son of Emir Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah, who reigned in Kuwait for nearly three decades from 1921 to 1950. 

His Highness began his political career at the age of 25. He later became minister of interior (1978–1988, 2003–2006), minister of defence (1988–1991) and deputy prime minister (2020–2023). 

Sheikh Nawaf also served as social affairs and labor minister in the first Kuwaiti government established in April 1991 after Kuwait's war of liberation against Iraq. 

Nawaf was declared the crown prince on February 7, 2006, during the reign of his half-brother Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and took over as emir when Sheikh Sabah died in September 2020 at the age of 91.

During his three-year rule as emir, Nawaf grappled with internal political disputes and pressures. But he was known for his modesty and low profile. He was described as the spiritual father of the Kuwaiti security forces.

He was married to Sharifa Sulaiman Al-Jassim whom he had four sons and one daughter, but none of these sons would inherit the throne as Kuwait maintained a Seniority Agnatic Succession Law, a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother than his sons. 

The new Emir of Kuwait, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

He was succeeded by his half-brother, His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was born on September 27, 1940. Before he acceded to the Kuwaiti throne, Mishal was the world's oldest crown prince. He spent most of his political career in Kuwaiti's intelligence and security forces.