No, the son and heir apparent (and First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, and...) of the sovereign of a nation state. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are not the same person.
No, the son and heir apparent (and First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, and...) of the sovereign of a nation state. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are not the same person.
> The question now arises: Will the king abdicate the throne and turn power over to the son he clearly trusts? Serious newspapers have raised the possibility. King Salman has already given his son unprecedented power. His nickname is Mr. Everything because he has been given control of the military, the economy (including the oil industry), and even control of the entertainment business. He has been the de facto foreign minister for the last two years, conducting all the important foreign policy issues and visits, including setting up President Donald Trump’s historic visit to the kingdom. He will presumably represent Saudi Arabia at the G-20 meeting in Hamburg.
Salman is 81 and suffers from pre-dementia. The state of his health is a closely guarded secret. He has been very busy this year, with a month-long trip to Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, China, and Japan, plus attending the Arab summit in Jordan, as well as hosting Trump and 50 Muslim leaders. So he, apparently, is capable of being in power for some time to come. His brothers have often lived into their 90s.