Washington, Dec. 12: Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, flew out of Washington yesterday after informing secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and his staff that he would be leaving the post after only 15 months on the job, according to US officials and foreign envoys.

There has been no formal announcement from the kingdom.

The abrupt departure is particularly striking because his predecessor, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, spent 22 years on the job. The Saudi ambassador is one of the most influential diplomatic positions in Washington and is arguably the most important overseas post for the oil-rich desert kingdom.

Turki, a long-serving former intelligence chief, told his staff yesterday afternoon that he wanted to spend more time with his family, according to Arab diplomats. Colleagues said they were shocked at the decision.

The exit — without the fanfare, parties and tributes that normally accompany a leading envoy’s departure, much less a public statement — comes as his brother, Prince Saud al-Faisal, the highly influential Saudi foreign minister, is ailing.

Saud, who was appointed in 1975, has held the position of foreign minister longer than any of his counterparts anywhere in the world — dating back to Henry Kissinger’s tenure as secretary of state.

As Saud's health has declined, Turki has increasingly been rumoured as a possible replacement for his older brother.