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Saudis celebrate crown prince’s 40th birthday

Updated Sep 1, 2025, 8:00am EDT
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Mohammed Bin Salman in 2022.
Louiza Vradi/Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed Bin Salman has turned 40.

It’s a stark reminder of just how significant an impact he has had on the Middle East in a relatively short period of time, and that he could have decades more in power.

Supporters and detractors have plenty of ammunition for their differing views about him. Undoubtedly though, he still commands overwhelming support domestically and with a friend currently in the White House, his role on the world stage is likely to grow in the next few years. That will give MBS, as he is widely known, an opportunity to entrench reform at home while pushing to reshape the Middle East, Ali Shihabi argued in Fox News.

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