Salman, the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, was the deputy governor of Riyadh and later the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was then appointed Minister of Defense. He was named the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in 2012 following the death of his brother Nayef bin Abdulaziz. Salman became King in 2015 following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Following the death of his father's 17th son Mutaib bin Abdulaziz in December 2019, he is the oldest surviving son of King Abdulaziz.