ROYAL BLOOD BATTLE
Saudi ‘son’ suit
A man claims he’s a Saudi royal — and heir to the late Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud — but to prove it, he needs to access the prince’s DNA, so he is suing a New York hospital for the genetic material. The crown prince died in 2011 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he was reportedly being treated for cancer. At the time of his death, he was first in line to take over the throne from his half-brother, King Abdullah, who died in 2015. The hospital has retained samples of Prince Sultan’s blood and tissues taken during surgery, according to the new lawsuit by 33-year-old Talal bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who claims to be his son. Abdulaziz says in court papers that he was born at Al Mubarak hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 10, 1984. His mother, Hanaa Faek El Mghayzel, married the prince in 1982, the suit says. They divorced in 1996 and Mghayzel moved back to her native Syria with her son. “In Syria, [Abdulaziz] remained in contact with his father, who on occa- sion sent financial assistance,” the suit says.
But Abdulaziz was not officially recognized as the prince’s son. Sultan was married 10 times and had 32 children, reports say.
Now Abdulaziz “is seeking to file a paternity action in Lebanon or elsewhere in order to establish his filiation,” his suit says.
The blood and tissue samples being held by New York-Presbyterian “are the only ones readily available to perform a DNA test,” Abdulaziz says in court papers.
His attorney, Steven A. Hammond, did not return messages seeking comment about the case.
A hospital rep also did not comment.
Many of Abdulaziz’s brothers have held highranking positions in the Saudi government. The eldest son, Khaled bin Sultan al Saud, was the deputy minister of defense. His younger sibling, Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, is a former intelligence chief with close ties to presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.