Saudi prince losing support

Amid the global uproar over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, some members of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family are agitating to halt Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from becoming king, three sources close to the royal court said.

Dozens of princes and cousins from powerful branches of the Al Saud family want to see a change in the line of succession, but would not act while King Salman – the crown prince’s father, 82 – is still alive, the sources said.

They recognise that the king is unlikely to turn against his favourite son, known in the West as MbS.

Rather, they are discussing the possibility that after the

They recognise that the king is unlikely to turn against his favourite son

king’s death, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, 76, a younger brother of the king and uncle of the crown prince, could take the throne.

Prince Ahmed, King Salman’s only surviving full brother, would have the support of family members, the security apparatus and some Western powers, one of the Saudi sources said.

Prince Ahmed returned to Riyadh in October after 2½ months abroad. During the trip, he criticised the Saudi leadership while responding to protesters in London chanting for the downfall of the Al Saud dynasty.

He was one of only three people on the Allegiance Council, made up of the ruling family’s senior members, who opposed MbS becoming crown prince in 2017, two Saudi sources said at the time.

Neither Prince Ahmed nor his representatives could be reached for comment.

Senior US officials have indicated in recent weeks to Saudi advisers that they would support Prince Ahmed as a potential successor, according to Saudi sources. –