Prince Alwaleed and Maldives

His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin AbdulAziz Alsaud has a special connection to Maldives. Notably Prince Alwaleed made a generous contribution to assist Maldivians, when the Indian Ocean Tsunami devastated the island nation on 26 December 2004.

In recognition of the close relationship between the Maldives and His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed, the Maldivian government conferred the Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddeen to him in 2009. The Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddeen is the highest ranking honour bestowed on a foreign national by the Maldivian government.

Prince Alwaleed was accompanied by his ex-wife Princess Ameera during his visit to accept the honour. On that occasion the Prince was quoted as saying “any investment opportunity that helps the Maldives….we will be the first to lead in having it executed”.

Prince Alwaleed and Princess Ameera

True to his word, Prince Alwaleed is one of the leading foreign investors in the Maldives. Prince Alwaleed has made various business ventures in Maldives through his Kingdom Holding Company (KHC). Prince Alwaleed’s investments in Maldives includes the management of two Four Seasons Hotels, one at Kuda Hura and the other at Landaa Giraavaru through the Company’s stake in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

It is widely reported that Prince Alwaleed has made other significant investments in Maldives. In addition to business, His Royal Highness has other interests in Maldives. Though his visits to Maldives are kept a secret, Prince Alwaleed is a consistent visitor to the country.

Prince Alwaleed has shown a preference to W Retreat & Spa Maldives, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa and the newly opened Loama Resort at Maamigli, in addition to his own Four Season resorts.