10 Saudi Royals Who Could Become the Next Crown Prince
Unlike most monarchies, where one of the offsprings inherits power after the death of their father, the Kingdom Saudi Arabia has been unusual because after the death of its founder Abdulaziz Al Saud power has been transferred between his sons based on seniority and consensus. His eldest son Saud was the first, followed by Faisal, Khaled, Fahad and now Abdullah. As the brothers get older together, this type of horizontal transfer of power creates a succession problem. By the time Abdullah became King in 2005, he was already above 80 years old. He is now on his third Crown Prince after the first two he chose, Sultan and Naif, passed away in October 2011 and June 2012, respectively. King Abdullah set up in 2006 the Allegiance Council, a body composed of the sons and grandsons of the Kingdom’s founder, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. However, it does not seem that the role of the Council has been activated yet. Instead, the path to the throne so far see...