on 26 june 2005, bandar submitted his resignation as ambassador to the united states for "personal reasons". the official end date of his term was 8 september 2005. bandar returned to saudi arabia weeks prior to the death of king fahd, upon which bandar's father, sultan bin abdulaziz, became the nation's crown prince. it was rumored that bandar's return was timed in order to secure a position in the new government.