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Fears grow of rift between Saudi king and crown prince | World news | The Guardian - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...own-prince-mohammed-bin-salman

KSA Saudi royal government politics family authoritarianism reform media Egypt Sudan Algeria

shared by Ed Webb on 05 Mar 19 - No Cached

in late February when the king, 83, visited Egypt and was warned by his advisers he was at risk of a potential move against him, according to a detailed account from a source. His entourage was so alarmed at the possible threat to his authority that a new security team, comprised of more than 30 hand-picked loyalists from the interior ministry, was flown to Egypt to replace the existing team.
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The friction in the father-son relationship was underlined, the source said, when the prince was not among those sent to welcome the king home.
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The crown prince, who was designated “deputy king” during the Egypt trip, as is customary, signed off two major personnel changes while the king was away. They included the appointment of a female ambassador to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, and that of his full brother, Khalid bin Salman, to the ministry of defence. The latter appointment has further centralised power in one branch of the ruling family.
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Royal appointments are almost always announced in the name of the king, but the 23 February decrees were signed by the “deputy king”. One expert said the title of deputy king had not been used in this way for decades.
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the king and his team learned about the reshuffle via television
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Supporters of the king have been pushing him to get more involved in decision-making, to prevent the crown prince from taking more power.
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Prince Mohammed angered people last month when he walked on top of the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, provoking complaints to the king by some religious scholars that the move had been inappropriate
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The prince and king have also been at odds on significant foreign policy matters, the source said, including the handling of prisoners of war in Yemen, and the Saudi response to protests in Sudan and Algeria.
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While the king is not a reformer, he is said to have supported freer coverage of the protests in Algeria in the Saudi press.
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