A member of the Saudi ruling family - whose name was unexpected - joined a delegation that visited the UAE this week, in a move seen by political scene observers in the kingdom as a message from its actual ruler indicating family unity after spending years building his power base.

He is Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed, the eldest son of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, brother of the Saudi monarch who is currently detained.

Prince Abdulaziz does not hold an official position, but the official Saudi media placed his name at the top of the list of those accompanying Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to offer condolences to the new ruler of the United Arab Emirates on the death of his brother, the former ruler of the UAE.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had postponed his visit to the UAE until his father King Salman (86 years old) left the hospital after a week-long stay that renewed observers' and analysts' focus on succession issues.

A Saudi source familiar with the affairs of the ruling family, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said, “The presence of Prince Ahmed’s son beside him in Abu Dhabi is a strong message to the public at home and abroad, especially as the succession transition looms.”

Christian Coates Ulriksen, a political science professor at the Baker Institute at Rice University in the United States, said the delegation - more broadly - highlights a balance carefully set by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman among figures from different branches of the family.

He added, “Perhaps the goal was to show unity within the Al Saud family, which has faced pressure due to issues like the detention of Prince Ahmed and Mohammed bin Nayef.”
The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment on the delegation or the implications contained in its composition.

* Balancing
In a rapid rise to power, Crown Prince Mohammed launched a campaign against potential rivals and critics since replacing Mohammed bin Nayef, the King’s nephew, as Crown Prince in 2017.

After the allegiance council ratified his position that same year, his succession to his father became an automatic step not expected to be challenged or opposed. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also holds the position of Minister of Defense and exerts strong control over state security agencies.

However, diplomats pointed to the detention of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Prince Ahmed in March 2020 as a sensitive topic between Riyadh and Washington, whose relations have been strained since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The Saudi authorities did not comment on the detention, which sources at the time said was related to charges of treason and gave the impression it was a preemptive move to ensure obedience and compliance within the Al Saud family.

Before his detention, Prince Ahmed had stayed away from the spotlight since returning to Riyadh in October 2018 after a trip to London during which he appeared in footage online criticizing the Saudi leadership.

The Abu Dhabi trip was not the first time Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spotlighted members of the ruling family who were not previously close, some of whom had fallen in a corruption purge.

Mohammed bin Nayef was removed from the position of Interior Minister in 2017 and replaced by his nephew Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef. In 2018, Prince Turki bin Talal was appointed Deputy Emir of Asir region while his brother, Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained in the purge campaign, negotiated a settlement for his release.

With empowering younger family members and granting them positions of power, Crown Prince Mohammed’s moves also indicate a decisive transfer of authority from the generation of King Salman and Prince Ahmed, the only two surviving sons of King Abdulaziz who founded modern Saudi Arabia and was succeeded on the throne by six of his sons.

Christine Diwan, a resident researcher at the Gulf States Institute in Washington, said, “Mohammed bin Salman is making a balance by offsetting the resentment of some older ruling family members by courting younger princes.”