To maintain royal bloodlines, the Saudi royal family prioritizes cousin marriages.

The Saudi royal family’s tradition of cousin marriages has long been criticized, especially given the family’s large size and numerous members.

Yet, it seems that there has been no widespread occurrence of genetic disorders or intellectual problems.

So why does the Saudi royal family manage to maintain the health and intelligence of its descendants despite such a high proportion of cousin marriages?

There are several key factors at play here.

The Saudi royal family, the Al Saud family, has been the ruling family of the country since the establishment of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

The family’s founder, King Abdulaziz, married 22 wives and fathered over a hundred children, with 36 sons surviving.

These sons married and had children, further expanding the family, which currently consists of over 15,000 members.

In order to maintain the purity of the family bloodline, royal family members tend to marry within the family, which is what is referred to as "consanguinity."

The fundamental reason behind this practice is that the family believes maintaining a pure bloodline is vital for the continuity of the dynasty.

Throughout history, the Saudi royal family has faced several external threats and invasions, such as the destruction by the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th century and the competition with the Rashid family in the 19th century.

These experiences have made the royal family realize that maintaining the family’s cohesion and the purity of its bloodline helps prevent the infiltration of external powers.

Therefore, cousin marriages have become a method to stabilize their regime.

From a biological standpoint, cousin marriages increase the risk of genetic disorders in offspring.

The closer the familial relationship, the higher the likelihood of recessive genetic diseases appearing.

For instance, diseases like sickle cell anemia and thalassemia are relatively common in Saudi Arabia and are closely linked to cousin marriages.

Statistics show that Saudi Arabia spends billions of riyals each year on treating genetic diseases, placing a significant burden on the country.

However, it seems that the royal family’s descendants have not widely experienced these genetic issues.

This is not because cousin marriages have no effect on them, but because they employ several strategies to reduce the risk.

Firstly, the Saudi royal family is large, and marriages within the family typically do not limit themselves to immediate relatives, but rather distant cousins, such as second or third cousins, which reduces genetic overlap and lowers the incidence of genetic diseases.

The internal marriage rules of the royal family usually stipulate that marriages should be limited to relatives beyond the third degree, which helps prevent the accumulation of severe genetic defects.

The royal family does not solely rely on family tradition but uses modern technology to control the risk of genetic diseases.

Before getting married, royal family members undergo strict genetic screening to determine if they carry any recessive genetic disorders.

If the test results are unsatisfactory, the marriage can be intervened upon, and even assisted reproductive technology may be used.

Furthermore, the royal family strictly monitors pregnancies, using ultrasound, amniocentesis, and other techniques to detect potential genetic problems early and take measures to prevent birth defects.

Saudi Arabia has abundant medical resources, and the royal family can access the help of top international experts at any time.

Since 2004, the Saudi government has implemented national premarital screening, especially for diseases like thalassemia and sickle cell anemia.

This policy has significantly reduced the occurrence of genetic diseases.

Moreover, the royal family has private medical teams that provide tailored healthcare services for each member, ensuring the health of their descendants.

Although the Saudi royal family has controlled the risks of cousin marriages through genetic screening and medical intervention, this tradition still poses a threat to the country’s overall genetic health.

Studies show that Saudi Arabia’s cousin marriage rate exceeds 50%, which directly contributes to the widespread occurrence of genetic diseases across the nation.

In particular, diseases such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia, which are single-gene diseases, are more common in cousin marriages.

The genetic disease database of Saudi Arabia shows that the Arab region has many recessive genes, and Saudi Arabia accounts for more than half of the genetic disease cases in the Arab world.

Although the royal family has an advanced screening system to control its own health, this issue still creates a genetic burden across society.

Although the Saudi government has started promoting premarital screening and educating the public, the cousin marriage rate is gradually decreasing, but this genetic health risk cannot be completely eradicated.

The Saudi royal family’s cousin marriage system is a product of the combination of tradition and modern technology.

Through marriage restrictions and the help of modern medical technology, the royal family has managed to maintain its family power while minimizing the occurrence of genetic diseases.

However, this practice has also led to long-term genetic health risks, not only confined to the royal family but also affecting the wider Saudi society.

In the future, balancing the conflict between tradition and modern technology will likely be a long-term issue that both the royal family and the entire country need to resolve.