Saudi crown prince allegedly stripped of some authority

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/18/saudi-crown-prince-allegedly-stripped-of-some-authority

Saudi crown prince allegedly stripped of some authority

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington, and Nick Hopkins in London

Mon 18 Mar 2019 05.00 GMT Last modified on Mon 18 Mar 2019 05.04 GMT

The heir to the Saudi throne has not attended a series of high-profile ministerial and diplomatic meetings in Saudi Arabia over the last fortnight and is alleged to have been stripped of some of his financial and economic authority, the Guardian has been told.

The move to restrict, if only temporarily, the responsibilities of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is understood to have been revealed to a group of senior ministers earlier last week by his father, King Salman. The king is said to have asked Bin Salman to be at this cabinet meeting, but he failed to attend.

While the move has not been declared publicly, the Guardian has been told that one of the king’s trusted advisers, Musaed al-Aiban, who was educated at Harvard and recently named as national security adviser, will informally oversee investment decisions on the king’s behalf.
(snip)

Experts on the Middle East are divided over whether the murder, and concern over the kingdom’s role in the conflict in Yemen, have led to tension at the heart of the notoriously secretive royal court.

But while most observers expect Prince Mohammed to accede to the thrown, there are some signs that the king is seeking to rein in his controversial son at a time when Saudi Arabia is under the spotlight.
(snip)

[BigmanPigman]

1. His father told him to go to a meeting and he was a No Show?

That sounds like there is trouble with their relationship. The King had better watch out since his son has tasted power and likes it. He could lock his old man in the hotel with other members of his family.

[Hortensis]

2. Yes, and "The promotion of Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan

to serve as Saudi ambassador to the US, and the promotion of Prince Mohammed’s brother, Khalid bin Salman, to the ministry of defence, were allegedly announced without the king’s approval or knowledge. The decrees to make the changes were signed by the crown prince in his role as “deputy king”, which some experts said was exceedingly rare."

However, "Some Middle East writers say the suggestions of a rift have been overblown and that the crown prince was already serving as a “king in everything but name”.

Hope for everyone's sake they're wrong and Sawd's on his way out. Fascinating medievalism, an absolute monarchy remaining to these days. When I've read a bit about it, though, I've always been repelled and never gone deeper.

Btw, "accede to the thrown"? Speech rec's clueless efforts don't often get by proofing in The Guardian.