Diplomatic visits of rulers of Saudi Arabia, photograph collection

Saʿūd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, otherwise known as King Saud (1902-1969) was born in Kuwait City, while his father, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Saʿūd, was fighting in Najd to consolidate his power in his family's ancestral base. Following the conquest of Riyadh, he, his mother, and brothers moved to that city to rejoin his father. After the death of his eldest brother, Turki, in 1919, Sa'ud was slated to become the Crown Prince, a title he officially received in 1933. During his father's wars against other tribes, to consolidate his rule and establish the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sa'ud participated in several battles, and was eventually named Viceroy of Najd. After he was named Crown Prince, he took on a number of initiatives to modernize the country's infrastructure and participated in numerous foreign diplomatic visits.

In 1953, following his father's death, he was named King of Saudi Arabia. During his reign, he sought to increase the international presence of Saudi Arabia, in particular during the Suez Crisis, and in response to the Palestinian question. Attracted to the Non-Aligned Movement, yet at the same time aware of Saudi Arabia's close ties to the United States during his father's reign, due to its development and exploitation of its petroleum resources, Sa'ud accepted an invitation by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to visit the United States in 1957, during which he sought funds for further development of the infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, and to advocate on behalf of regional political interests.

During the latter years of his reign, Sa'ud was challenged by his half-brother, Faiṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, who continued to hold the role of Foreign Minister, as he had under their father's reign. Increasing accusations of corruption and uncontrolled expenditures lent further credence to Faisal's calls for change, and while Sa'ud visited the United States for medical treatment in 1962, Faisal formed a new cabinet, promising reforms, and upon his brother's return, demanded that he be made regent. As Faisal marshalled further support from various sectors, Sa'ud was eventually pressured to abdicate the throne, and go into exile. He died in Athens in 1969.

Faiṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd (1906-1975), prior to his ascension to the throne in 1964, had served as viceroy of Hijaz (1926-1932), Foreign Minister (from 1930 onward), and Prime Minister (1954). At the time of his father's death and his half-brother's ascension to the throne in 1953, he was also named Crown Prince. Following Sa'ud's abdication in 1964, Faiṣal reigned for the next 11 years, until he was assassinated by a nephew in 1975. During this time he played a consequential role in increasing Saudi Arabia's role as a regional and international power, most notably during the oil crisis of 1973, when he instituted an embargo out of protest against the support that the United States gave to Israel in the Yom Kippur war.