Who Is Sheikh Meshal? Crown Prince Named As Oil-Rich Kuwait's New Emir

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah was made the crown prince three years back and was handed over Emir Sheikh Nawaf's duties in Nov 2021 due to the latter's bad health.

Crown prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has been named the oil-rich country's new emir after the death of his brother and predecessor Sheikh Nawaf, reported Reuters. Kuwaiti state television on Saturday reported the death of 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was Kuwait's Emir since September 2020.

Now, Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal will take the reign of Kuwait in his hands. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad, a prominent figure in the Arab world, ruled Kuwait for 14 years before handing it over to Sheikh Nawaf in 2020.

Sheikh Meshal came into the spotlight when he was handed most of the Emir Sheikh Nawaf's duties due to the latter's health conditions in November 2021, Reuters reported.

All About Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

• Sheikh Meshal was deputy chief of the National Guard from 2004-2020 and head of State Security for 13 years after he joined the interior ministry in the 1960s. 


• He attended Britain's Hendon Police College and was credited with helping to reform the National Guard. He is the seventh son of former ruler Ahmed Al-Jaber, and a brother of three former rulers, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, and Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad. 


• Sheikh Meshal is married and has five sons and seven daughters, reported Reuters.


• The 83-year-old Sheikh has spent much of his career helping build the Gulf state's security and defence apparatus. He became crown prince three years ago


• Amid other things being expected from him, Sheikh Mehshal is most likely to preserve key Kuwaiti foreign policies including support for Gulf Arab unity, Western alliances, and good ties to Riyadh - a bond seen as a top priority to him, Reuters mentioned in its report.


• Furthermore, he is expected to expand ties with China as it sees a bigger role in the region. According to a report in Reuters, this is more likely since Beijing sponsored a deal that normalised ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March.


• Sheikh Meshal had also signed several economic agreements during a visit to China in September, where he went to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Olympic Games.