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UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrived at Windsor Castle on 30 April at the start of a two-day state visit to Britain – the first by a UAE leader since Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan’s state visit in 1989. Sheikh Khalifa attended a state luncheon at the castle, met Prince Charles at Clarence House, laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey, and held a formal meeting with David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

Foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has apparently laughed off the latest rumours of his death. On 25 April, head of the foreign ministry’s media directorate Osama Nugali tweeted that he had informed the prince about the rumours by telephone. “He laughed and told me with his renowned modesty: ‘The news of my death should not be a huge story or exaggerated’,” Nugali wrote. It is not the first time there have been rumours of his death. In August 2012, hackers infiltrated the blogging platform of the Reuters website to post a false report that the prince had died from post-surgery complications.

King Abdullah has honoured Princess Sara Al-Faisal Bin Abdelaziz, president of the Al-Nahda Women’s Association and one of the 30 new female members of the Majlis Al-Shura, with the King Abdelaziz Medal of First Class, in recognition of her charitable works and support for women’s issues in Saudi Arabia. Princess Sara is the full sister of foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and is married to Mohammed Bin Saud Bin Abdelaziz, the Al-Baha governor. She and her sister Latifa established the Riyadh-based Al-Nahda association in the early 1960s and remain on its board. She also chairs the Effat University board of trustees.

Mecca governor Prince Khalid Al-Faisal held a press conference at the Jeddah governorate governorate headquarters on 7 May, where he noted that the value of projects either completed or under way in the Mecca region in 2013 were worth more than SR311bn ($83bn). These projects include the King Abdullah Project for the Reconstruction of Mecca, public transport projects (trains and buses) in Mecca and Jeddah, the King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, King Abdelaziz Airport and the Two Holy Mosques train, as well as projects aimed at protecting the region from floods.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal noted on his Twitter feed on 14 April that allowing Saudi women to drive would be economically beneficial, and seemed to suggest it could help Saudi Arabia’s problems with illegal migrants.

The new deputy defence minister, Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah, is an ‘HH’ (meaning he is not descended from King Abdelaziz) from the Al-Abdelrahman branch of the family. His grandfather Mohammed was a brother of King Abdelaziz. Prince Fahd, a graduate of the US Naval Staff and Command College, was put in charge of naval operations in 2002, causing some surprise as the navy had traditionally been headed by non-royals, meaning it lacked the sort of impetus that having the backing of a top Al-Saud could provide.

Newly appointed deputy defence minister Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah has had a busy start to his new role. On 21 April, the day after King Abdullah announced he would replace Prince Khalid Bin Sultan, Prince Fahd officially assumed his duties, beginning with an audience with his new boss, deputy prime minister and minister of defence Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz, who congratulated him on his appointment.

Deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan was sacked on 20 April, and replaced by a former naval chief from a less prominent branch of the Al-Saud – a surprise to many, even though Khalid had long been considered unpopular with the king. The enfant terrible of Saudi military politics, his 12-year stint at the ministry of defence ended with a brief statement from the Saudi Press Agency that reflected once again the opaque nature of decision making in the kingdom. “King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz issued today a royal order relieving Prince Khalid… deputy defence minister of his post and appointing Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Abdelrahman Al-Saud, as deputy defence minister at the rank of minister,” the statement said.

The news of a major drugs scandal at Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR)’s Godolphin stable is highly embarrassing for the ruler, who prides himself on a hands-on approach to his horses. On 22 April, Godolphin issued a statement saying trainer Mahmood Al-Zarooni would attend a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary hearing after “serious irregularities were found in samples taken from horses in his care at Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket”. The BHA said traces of anabolic steroids were discovered in 11 of 45 horses tested, including leading 1000 Guineas hope Certify (ethylestranol) and Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Opinion Poll (stanozolol).

The Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, belonging to Saudi Arabian National Guard head Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah, is to close its doors for a two-year renovation by the Lebanese architect Aline d’Amman. The Crillon was French-owned until 2005, when ownership passed to US group Starwood Capital and then, in 2010, to Prince Miteb for a reported €250m ($327m). Prince Miteb’s first cousin Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal owns the GeorgeV Hotel in Paris.

Prince Badr Bin Abdelaziz, a half-brother of King Abdullah, died in late March. He was in his early 80s. He was communications minister in the early 1960s and Saudi Arabian National Guard deputy commander from 1968 to November 2010, when he reportedly retired for health reasons.

Afghan President Hamad Karzai paid a short visit to Qatar in late March, accompanied by his foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, head of the High Peace Council Salahuddin Rabbani and presidential adviser Dadfar Spanta. Karzai held talks with the emir and also met Qatar’s ambassador to Pakistan. Likely to have been under discussion is the possibility of a formal role for Qatar in negotiations with the Taliban, and the opening of a Taliban office in Doha.

Any discussion of Saudi politics and business quickly turns to questions about the influence of Al-Saud princes and other key players in the royal pecking order, and who will succeed King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz. For those seeking to understand the trajectory of Saudi politics, there is meaning to be found (or, at least, sought) in appointments and dismissals. The naming of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as head of the court of his father Crown Prince Salman, for example, may shed a glimmer of light on what lies ahead for him and other ‘third-generation princes’, as they move closer to the pinnacles of power.

Former police chief and minister of economy and industry Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Hamad is being sued by his ex-wife Meshkah Tawfik for £100m ($153m) in maintenance for their children Sultan and Sheikha. Tawfik told the Sunday Times: “I am suing him not for me but to get maintenance for the children. As members of the royal family they should not be living like this.”

A French judge has ordered that jewels, clothing and art belonging to the ex-wife (divorced) of late crown prince Nayef, Maha Bint Mohammed Al-Sudairi, be seized to settle millions of euros in unpaid bills. Maha has been in the headlines several times over the past few years, including in 2009, when there were reports she had claimed diplomatic immunity in France after running up unpaid shopping bills of £15m ($22.7m), including £60,000 for lingerie .