RIYADH — Former Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal died Thursday, two Saudi sources said, two months after he was replaced following 40 years on the job.

Prince Saud, who was appointed in 1975, was the world’s longest serving foreign minister when he was replaced on April 29 by Adel al-Jubeir, the then ambassador to Washington.

He is the second son of King Faisal and Iffat Al-Thunayan. He graduated from Princeton University in 1965 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics.

He became deputy petroleum minister in 1971 before his appointment as foreign minister in 1975.

Prince Saud became a symbol of the controversial Saudi foreign policy and rivalry with Iran and was heavily involved in the Syrian crisis before he was replaced. 

“May God accept him in paradise,” the prince’s nephew Saud Mohammed al-Abdullah al-Faisal said on Twitter.

Prince Saud served under four Saudi kings, advancing the Kingdom’s foreign policy, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

As the foreign minister of an important political and economic U.S. ally in the region, Saud was reported to have been well liked and respected in diplomatic circles.

With age, Saud faced many health problems. In the last few years, despite suffering from chronic back pain and having various surgeries, he maintained his challenging role.

As foreign minister, he has been quoted in expressing regret that a Palestinian state never took shape during his career.

Saud’s position, however, was always as subordinate to the King, who has the final say.

“Prince Saud was not only the longest serving foreign minister, he was also  among the wisest,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in an Arabic tweet through the account of the U.S. embassy in Riyadh.