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Sultan died at the age of 80, Abdullah is in his late 80s and the expected heir, Nayef, is 77.  A jump to a younger-generation royal is seen as unlikely while there are suitable Ibn Saud sons alive, but this could mean there is yet another succession changeover sooner rather than later Crown Prince Sultan’s death on 22 October was not unexpected

Emir Sheikh Hamad’s fourth son Sheikh Tamim was appointed heir apparent in an August 2003 move, when he replaced his older full brother Sheikh Jassim (GSN 716/6). The changeover was widely regarded as sensible – the laid-back Jassim, who was seen as having little political ambition, had been a stopgap until Tamim had finished his education and gained more experience in high-level politics.

Confronted with long-term concerns over the budget’s ability to support such huge levels of public spending (GSN 906/12), and more immediate criticism over governance issues – highlighted by new reports of corruption linked to subsidiaries of European aerospace giant EADS  – how wealth is shared out in Saudi Arabia is a hot issue that will not go away, with the ‘Arab Spring’ adding urgency to complaints that many citizens are excluded from jobs and social benefits. 

KING ABDULLAH: More back surgery; PRINCESSES: Funerals; PRINCE MISHAAL: Whereabouts unknown; ROYALS: Weddings; KHALID BIN BANDAR: Pakistan; MIQRIN & CO: Morocco; PRINCES: Chinese meetings; EASTERN PROVINCE PRINCES: Hospital visit

Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz returned home from his annual holiday in Marbella in early August. Prince Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Faisal died on 20 August

The Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was held on 12 August. There were several overseas cadets who passed out with a view to being commissioned into the armed forces of their countries

Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has been seen in several western capitals (including London in May and Washington in June) over the past few months, but has also been travelling at home.

Foreign ministry post for Abdullah’s son; PRINCESS BASMA: Criticises Bahrain intervention; AL-SAUD: Summer in Taif; KHALID BIN YAZID: Funeral; PRINCESS SULTANA: Death of well-known philanthropist

Vultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said has held talks with senior officials in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

CROWN PRINCE SULTAN: Still in the US; SENIOR ROYALS: Marbella and Jeddah; OTHER SENIOR ROYALS: Meetings; ABDELRAHMAN BIN ABDELAZIZ: Opens training facilities; SAUD BIN ABDELMUHSIN: Governorship extended; SAUD BIN NAYEF: Farewell visits to Spain

US publication ARTnews has named Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani as one of the biggest art collectors in the world in the past 12 months.

Assistant interior minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Al-Saud attended a joint tactical exercise near Riyadh in late June.

Senior appointments

Two senior royals from neighbouring states were in the Kingdom in early July. Kuwaiti prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah made a two-day official visit during which they held talks with King Abdullah and performed the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca (Umrah).

The recently announced marriage of King Abdullah’s daughter Sahab to King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa’s son Sheikh Khalid, is highly unusual. Al-Saud women marry outside the wider family extremely rarely, and then only to trusted or established families like the Sudeiri. Genealogists canvassed by GSN said it was possibly the first time the daughter of a Saudi king had married into another royal family since an episode in the late 19th century when the Al-Saud were forced to give a female member to the Al-Rashid family. However, there have been high level marriages between the Al-Maktoum and Al-Khalifa/Al-Thani.