Idris bin Abdullah al-Senussi

Idris is supported by an Advisory Council (the Senussi royal family allows polygamy, which is "a factor that complicates all claims of royal legitimacy through descent")[5] that heads the Sanussiyyah movement which embraces the majority of Libyan tribes.

The majority of Libyan monarchists, and the most prominent Libyan monarchist organizations– the Libyan Constitutional Union and the Movement for the Return of Constitutional Legitimacy– support the claim of Mohammed El Senussi, a distant cousin of Idris, to the leadership of the House of Senussi.[6][7]

In 1991, the New York Times published an article stating that al-Senussi would take control of a 400-man strong dissident Libyan paramilitary force that had received training from American intelligence, to fight against injustice in Libya.[8]

In the early 1990s, Idris lobbied to convince the British government to recognize him as the legitimate heir to the King of Libya. Forty-one MPs signed a motion that described him as a "great nephew of the late King Idris of Libya and heir presumptive of the Libyan throne."

On July 5, 1995, the Sunday Times described Idris as a “Phoney Arab prince” who “spent at least £100,000 on parliamentary lobbying and public relations exercises to create a false image that he was rightful heir to the Libyan throne." This claim was taken to court in July 1995. Senussi admitted to hiring a firm to raise his profile “amongst decision-makers in the United Kingdom.[9]

Asked to provide testimony in the case, Debretts’ repudiated his claim to the leadership of the house, calling Idris the “second son of the sixth son of the younger brother of King Idris's father.”[2]

During the 2011 Libyan civil war, al-Senussi announced he was "ready to return to Libya".[10] On 21 February 2011 he made an appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight to discuss the uprising.[11] In March 2011 it was reported Prince Idris had held meetings at the State Department and Congress in Washington with US government officials to work towards peace and leadership issues in Libya. It was also reported attempts at contact had been initiated by French and Saudi officials over peace and leadership issues.[12] In March 2011, when asked if he was the rightful heir, Prince Idris said a family council would decide who would be king, not an heir, and that his father had passed on to him the task of maintaining the legitimacy of the monarchy and the unity of Libya.[13][14]

It was reported in December 2011 that Idris had flown to Tripoli from Italy and spent his first day looking around the former Royal Palace of Tripoli, which he described as "the greatest joy of my life, apart from the birth of my children".[15]

In December 2011, Senussi flew back to Libya using a passport of royal vintage, In the same year, the Telegraph wrote that “The Senussi family tree shows that Idris is only distantly related to King Idris, the last monarch of Libya who died in 1983.[16][17][18]

Prince Idris has served as a Director of Washington Investment Partners and China Sciences Conservational Power Ltd. He has also been involved in the railways development, port development, power plants, real estate projects and oil and gas industry,[19] having in the past worked for Condotte, Ansaldo Energia, Eni and its subsidiary Snamprogetti.[4] He was also the mediator and key adviser of the contract for the construction of the Port of Ras Laffan in Qatar.

Idris has structured, facilitated and raised financing for several infrastructure development projects.