Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Saudi Arabia's king has been quietly holed up in his desert palace for more than 480 days, as his heir MBS lies in wait for the throne

Saudi Arabia's king has been quietly holed up in his desert palace for more than 480 days, as his heir MBS lies in wait for the throne

Mohammed bin Salman is heir to the Saudi throne and his father, King Salman, is in ill health, having isolated at his palace in the desert for months.

As of Tuesday, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has isolated himself in the kingdom's northwest desert for 482 straight days, reigniting concerns for his health while his heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, lies in wait for the throne.

Salman, 85, became king in 2015 following the death of his half-brother King Abdullah, and rumors of ill health have dogged him since. He is considered to have pre-dementia, according to several experts, and underwent gall-bladder surgery in July 2020.

The true state of his health is a closely guarded secret. In 2015, lawyers for the Saudi royal court told The Washington Post that the king was "most certainly not suffering from dementia or any other kind of mental impairment" after the newspaper reported that claim.

Following his gall-bladder surgery, King Salman flew to his palace at Neom, a newly-developed region on the Red Sea, for "rest and relaxation" on August 12, 2020, the official Saudi Press Agency said. At the time Saudi Arabia had just experienced the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak.

King Salman has remained in Neom since, chairing cabinet meetings by video link.

"He is in Neom because that is actually safer, because it limits access to him," Bernard Haykel, a leading expert on Saudi politics at Princeton University, told Insider. "They're being super careful because they want him to live on."

Though King Salman is secluded, he has the best medical care money can buy.

He is tended by more than a dozen medical experts from the Cleveland Clinic, a person with knowledge of the arrangement told Insider. The clinic, a leading US-based medical provider, has cared for many of the world's elite since the 1980s, including former President Donald Trump and numerous members of the Saudi royal family.

Speculation that King Salman may soon die is mounting once more, Haykel said: "There are always rumors toward the ends of the year."

King Salman's heir, 36-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed, or MBS, is widely expected to take the throne after his father's death.

"It would just be seamless," Haykel said.

Like his father, MBS has been keeping his distance from the bustle of Riyadh this year, spending much of his time in his palace in Neom or his yacht moored in the Red Sea, The Wall Street Journal reported. (MBS and King Salman's palaces in Neom are two of five palaces that the Saudi government commissioned for the royal family in 2018, Reuters reported.)

MBS has eliminated threats to his rule


MBS is already Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, and the reality is that little will change in terms of the day-to-day running of the country when he becomes king.

Since becoming crown prince in June 2017, MBS has been busy remaking Saudi Arabia by reforming the economic, entertainment, and tourism sectors. Saudi Arabia's crown princes have historically wielded substantial power, but MBS has blown past many of his predecessors in terms of ambition and impact.

However, part of the reason MBS faces no public opposition to his rule is that he has cracked down on them.

*  In late 2017, dozens of royals were rounded up in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel as part of an anti-corruption drive led by MBS.

*  In 2020, Mohammed bin Nayef, the former crown prince, was arrested and placed under house arrest. Royals perceived to have links to bin Nayef, such as Prince Faisal bin Abdullah al-Saud and Princess Basmah bint Saud, have vanished from the public eye for more than a year.

*  In August 2020, Saad al-Jabri, a former top Saudi intelligence official who was close to bin Nayef, accused MBS of sending a hit squad to Canada to kill him two years prior. (MBS has rejected those claims.)

*  Two weeks before the date al-Jabri said MBS tried to kill him, a group of Saudi state agents murdered the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. The CIA would later conclude that MBS likely ordered the hit.

As a result of the Khashoggi murder, President Joe Biden effectively demoted MBS, saying in February that Biden's counterpart was King Salman. By that logic, when MBS becomes king, he will become the US president's diplomatic equal.

Despite international backlash to his crackdown, all signs suggest MBS will be king when Salman dies.

"I don't expect there to be any resistance," Hakyel said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
×