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The head of the Saudi Arabian Allegiance Commission, Prince Mishal bin Abdul-Aziz, departed May 7 for Geneva, where he checked on the health of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel-Aziz. The 82-year-old Saudi crown prince arrived April 28 in the Swiss city for unspecified medical tests. Though two years younger than King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Prince Sultan is believed to be in worse health than the Saudi king.
The visit by the head of the Saudi body that oversees succession, established in December 2007, could be an indication that Prince Sultan is terminally ill. If so, Prince Sultan’s death would create an opportunity to test the performance of the newly formed Allegiance Commission, as well as setting off a major leadership reshuffle in the kingdom.
That body was designed to formalize succession among the al Saud family. Previously, the Saudi dynasty has relied on an ad hoc process of familial deliberations whenever a leadership transition arose.
The Saudi royal family has proven resilient since it first came to power in 1744. The house of Saud lost power on two occasions, in 1818 and 1891, to the Ottomans. Since the founding of its third incarnation in the early days of the 20th century, the modern Saudi kingdom has dealt with numerous transfers of power.
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