It is possible Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud was stripped of at least some of his authority, the Guardian reported.
The report is based on Bin Salman not attending some high-level meetings he was expected to take part in.
This is another blow for Bin Salman following the report in the New York Times that the William Morris Endeavor (WME) media agency returned his $400 million investment. WME is co-run by Ari Emanuel, the brother of former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and represents such noted actors as Sacha Baron Cohen and Conan O'Brien.
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson also announced he will not invest in Al-`Ula, which was meant to be one of the largest open air museums in the world and to include a museum of Arab civilization, Zvi Bar'el reported in Haaretz.
The new person in charge of how the Saudi kingdom will invest its money overseas is Harvard educated Musaed al-Aiban, the Guardian reported.
The downgrading of this important figure in Saudi political life is likely related to the 2018 murder of Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi. A murder that took place in Istanbul and carried out by members of the Saudi security forces. Making it highly unlikely Bin Salman was not at least aware of it, if not allegedly the person who ordered it.
The New York Times reported that a recording allegedly connects the young Saudi prince to the killing.
Bin Salman is currently ‘deputy king’ to his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and at least up until now was said to have a close relationship with ared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser.
Kushner said he did not take Saudi Arabia’s account of Khashoggi’s murder at face value.
