Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is the seventh King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Cities, and the current leader of the House of Saud. He served as Deputy Governor and then Governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was appointed Minister of Defense in 2011.
He was also elected as Crown Prince in 2012 following the death of his brother Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. Salman was appointed King of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015 following the death of his half brother, King Abdullah.