Profile

Prince Mishaal (or Mishal) Al Saud is the son of Prince Khaled Al Saud and an American national Barbara (‘Noura’) Al Faisal. He is a shareholder and President of the McDonald's restaurant franchise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, owned and operated by Riyadh International Catering Company. Prince Mishaal was born in the US, but renounced his citizenship in 2015. In 2017, he applied for passports for himself, his wife (daughter of a former deputy mayor of Riyadh) and their three children.

Malta - the land of political freedom

In his letter of intent, Prince Mishal said he wished to apply for residency/citizenship because “it offers more freedom politically” and “the holding of such a passport will assist greatly in my extensive travels through Europe and further afield”. He anticipated spending “a minimum of 14 days in Malta during the mandatory 12-month residency period as I seek to establish my home on the Island”.

Making a “special” exception

When discussing the appropriateness of accepting Prince Mishal as a client due to his status as a member of the Saudi royal family, a Henley & Partners employee wrote in internal correspondence that he could be accepted as a client and considered a “special case”, noting that his “clan” was “quite far away from the King. And the below members have nothing to do with politics”. In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to hold dual nationality, unless exceptional and discretionary permission is granted first.

The Prince suspends his application

In response to a request for comment, Prince Mishaal confirmed that he had “considered obtaining a Maltese passport through Henley & Partners for the sole purpose of easing my frequent business travels through Europe and other countries” but that he suspended his application when he “came to know that it was illegal in Saudi Arabia to hold two nationalities”. Prince Mishaal added that he “never met or communicated with (directly or indirectly) any Maltese government official, including Dr Muscat [Joseph Muscat, former prime minister], before, during or after the process”.

Prince Mishaal's brother, Prince Bander Al Saud, bought Maltese passports for himself and his family. Their father, Prince Khaled Al Saud, filed a separate application successfully.

The holding company

Prince Mishaal Al-Saud is the director of Clear Creek Holding Company Limited (C 93252), registered in Malta on 16 September 2019. The company’s sole shareholder is Clear Creek US LLC, incorporated in Delaware, USA.

Riyadh International Catering Company did not respond to requests for comment.