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Saudi monarch axes crown prince, foreign minister in major reshuffle
By Angus McDowall
Riyadh: In a dramatic reshuffle of the leadership of Saudi Arabia, King Salman has removed his own crown prince from the succession and made his son - who is still in his thirties - second in line to the throne.
The changes come at a moment of unprecedented regional turmoil, as Saudi Arabia navigates the messy aftermath of the "Arab Spring" and has departed from decades of backroom politics by launching a military campaign in Yemen.
Promoted: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is now first in line to the throne.Credit: Reuters
The new crown prince is the country's interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who has for many years run the kingdom's counter-terrorism portfolio and was the target of an al-Qaeda assassination attempt in 2009. His father, Prince Nayef, was a full brother of the current king.
King Salman is one of seven brothers in the royal family whose father was King Abdulaziz, the founder of the modern state, and whose mother was Hassa bint Ahmed al-Sudairi.
New Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier this month.Credit: AP
His predecessor King Abdullah, who died on January 23, and the now removed crown prince, Muqrin, were sons of King Abdulaziz from different wives. The appointments thus strengthen the position of the "Sudairi Seven" and their descendants while sidelining other branches of the royal family.
King Abdullah had a reputation as a social reformer, however the Sudairi faction have a reputation as social and political conservatives who are hawks on foreign policy. US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks show Prince Mohammed bin Nayef consulting US officials on how best to protect key infrastructure "when at war with Iran".
King Salman's son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the ruling family's power elite, moving from a job as head of his father's personal court to become the third most senior man in Saudi Arabia.
As well as being appointed defence minister, a role that has made him the most prominent face of Riyadh's campaign in Yemen this month, he has also served as royal court chief and head of a powerful committee on the Saudi economy and development.
Prince Saud al-Faisal, the face of Saudi foreign policy for the last 40 years, is stepping aside.Credit: Reuters
King Salman also replaced veteran Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had served in the role since October 1975, with the kingdom's Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, the first non-royal to hold the post.
In a decree published by state media, King Salman said the decision to replace Prince Muqrin and to make his own son deputy crown prince had been approved by a majority of the family's Allegiance Council.
Saudi Arabia's US ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, seen here explaining his country's military campaign in Yemen to the Washington press, will now be the kingdom's chief diplomat.Credit: Reuters
Reuters