RIYADH, 24 July — Thousands of people including princes and foreign dignitaries attended the funeral of Prince Ahmad ibn Salman, son of Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, and chairman of Saudi Research & Marketing Group, at Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque here yesterday.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Prince Abdullah, the regent, sent messages of condolences to Prince Salman, expressing their deep sorrow on the demise of Prince Ahmad.

"We have received the news of the death of our valuable son with profound sorrow. We express our condolences to your Royal Highness, the late prince’s mother, his family, and his brothers and sister on this grievous misfortune," the king said in his cable.

"We pray to the Almighty that He may show mercy to the late prince, accommodate him in His Paradise and give us perseverance and consolation," the king said. Prince Salman returned from Geneva on Monday night on hearing of his son’s death.

Prince Ahmad, owner of the recent Kentucky Derby winner "War Emblem", died at King Faisal Specialist Hospital here on Monday.

Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad, son of the Qatari emir and chairman of the National Olympic Committee, Prince Abdul Rahman, deputy minister of defense and aviation, Prince Salman, Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed were among the prominent personalities who took part in the funeral prayers.

Another tragedy took place for the royal family yesterday when Prince Sultan ibn Faisal ibn Turki, 41, died in a fatal road accident on the Jeddah-Riyadh Highway while he was on his way to attend the funeral prayers for Prince Ahmed ibn Salman.

The bodies of both Prince Ahmad and Prince Sultan were buried next to each other at Al-Oudh Graveyard in Manfouha, south Riyadh. The late Prince Sultan was the brother of Prince Abdullah ibn Faisal, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).

Members of the royal family led by Prince Salman, his sons and hundreds of Saudi citizens were present for a last glimpse of the late Prince Ahmad, whose personal dynamism and philanthropic activities had endeared him to one and all.

Prince Salman was in tears when he knelt down and kissed the late prince as his body was being lowered in the grave. It was a poignant moment for Prince Salman, who had lost his eldest son, Prince Fahd, only a year ago.

Prince Sultan ibn Salman, Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Salman and Prince Mamdouh ibn Abdul Rahman stepped inside the grave to receive the body of Prince Ahmad. The mortal remains of Prince Fahd ibn Salman, Prince Faisal ibn Fahd and other members of the royal family also lie buried in the same graveyard.

Earlier, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, the grand mufti, led the funeral prayers for both princes at Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque in downtown Deera. All exit routes leading to the mosque near King Fahd Road were blocked to facilitate the flow of traffic to the Deera area.

Security was tight, with dozens of patrol cars guiding the vehicular traffic as it wended its way to the capital’s biggest mosque. Thousands of people lined Riyadh streets to watch the motorcade, led by the two ambulances carrying the princes’ bodies followed by a stream of black Mercedes cars with relatives. On a hot and sultry afternoon with all shops closed, the roads would have been deserted. But the occasion was different this time around.

Meanwhile, King Fahd received condolences from Sultan Qaboos of Oman on the death of Prince Ahmad. Prince Salman also received a large number of princes, ministers, Islamic scholars, civilian and military officials and other citizens who came to convey their condolences.

In his obituary, Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd, state minister, expressed his deep sorrow over Prince Ahmad’s death. Prince Abdul Aziz quoted a Qur’anic verse: "Give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say when afflicted with calamity: To God we belong and to Him is our return."

He also shared a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that believers should remember the loss of the Prophet whenever they are afflicted by any tragedy. "Because nobody from my community will face a more grievous tragedy than the death of mine," he quoted the Prophet as saying. Prince Abdul Aziz said the death of Prince Ahmad was a great loss for the nation. "Everybody was shocked by the demise of Prince Ahmad," he said and praised the late prince’s noble qualities and morals.

"I was very touched by the large number of people present from all backgrounds," said Khaled Al-Maeena, editor in chief of Arab News, one of the 16 publications owned by the company Prince Ahmad chaired. "You could feel the pain and the grief," he added.

Also yesterday, Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Al-Rowaitie, member of SRMG’s board, expressed his profound sorrow on Prince Ahmad’s death. He prayed to the Almighty that He may give Prince Salman, his wife and sons as well as the family of the late prince the ability to overcome the tragedy and grief. Rowaitie, who had been associated with Prince Ahmad for about 12 years, said the late prince always dealt with him as a friend, brother and colleague.

"I could not control my tears when the body was lowered into the ground," said Saleh Al-Hammadi, editor in chief of Arriyadiah, the Kingdom’s premier sports daily. "Prince Ahmad had a truly international personality. He could mix with anyone."

Hammadi, who knew the late prince personally during the last ten years, said Prince Ahmad had a passion for excellence, be it in business or in the pursuit of his own hobbies.

Thus he catapulted his company into the No. 1 slot in the Middle East as the publisher of 16 publications in Arabic, English, Urdu and Malayalam languages.

Similarly, his keen interest in horse racing went back to the time when, as a third standard student at the age of nine, he had received a gift of a horse, "Nassaar," from his father. Nassaar went on to win the King’s Cup later.

"Even as a student in the United States Prince Ahmad had bought a horse from the monthly scholarship grants that he used to receive from the Ministry of Education in Riyadh. No wonder, his talent for spotting the right horse enabled him to win the Kentucky Derby through his million-dollar horse War Emblem, becoming in the process the only Saudi prince to lift the prestigious cup," he added.

Prince Ahmad spent $900,000 to buy War Emblem just three weeks before it won the Kentucky Derby, after the horse won the Illinois Derby. "I think this is one of the best investments I ever made in my life, besides buying oil in Arabia," the US-educated Prince Ahmad had said after War Emblem won the Preakness. He also owned Spain, horse racing’s all-time female money-winner.

In Lexington, Kentucky, the horse racing fraternity too expressed their shock and grief over Prince Ahmad’s death. "All of us connected with the NTRA and Breeders’ Cup extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and to his colleagues at The Thoroughbred Corporation," NTRA commissioner Tim Smith said in a statement.

"His tragic and premature loss is a significant blow to the Thoroughbred racing industry. Having campaigned such Thoroughbred stars as War Emblem, Point Given, Spain, Sharp Cat and many others, Prince Ahmad distinguished himself as a man who competed and thrived at our sport’s highest levels."

MBC television showed last night a footage on Prince Ahmad in which Dr. Fahd Al-Tayash, director general of Saudi Research & Publishing Company, paid tribute to the late prince. Tayash recalled Prince Ahmad’s vision and farsightedness that enabled SRPC to reach new heights in its publishing ventures.

Video clips shown by the television highlighted Prince Ahmad’s meeting with former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. The MBC program also focused on Prince Ahmad’s winning the Kentucky Derby with War Emblem as well as his philanthropic activities. Prince Ahmad is survived by a wife and five children.