One of his classmates in Cranwell was Bandar bin Sultan, husband of his sister, Haifa.[8]
Career and activities
Following graduation, Prince Bandar joined the royal air force and began to work as a fighter pilot in the lightning squad.[8] Then he became a lieutenant colonel.[1] He worked at the intelligence unit of the force[1] and also served as the head of the negotiation teams of the force.[9] Later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.[10][11] In 2007, he retired from the air force after serving forty years.[3][10] Then he worked as a senior military advisor at the Ministry of Defense and Aviation.[10]
While serving in the air force, Prince Bandar was also involved in business. In the mid-1980s he founded the Saudi Group, a joint venture with his wife Basma bint Majid and his nephew Prince Saud bin Abdullah.[12]
He was one of the early members of the Saudi National Commission for Wildlife.[3] In 2007, Prince Bandar initiated a project to protect the indigenous wildlife in Saudi Arabia.[3]
Personal life
Prince Bandar married his cousin Basma bint Majid, a daughter of Prince Majid bin Abdulaziz.[13] He had two children, Prince Sultan[3] and Princess Hanah.[2]