Feature by BBC Monitoring on 29 May
As the senior members of the Saudi royal family approach their nineties a change to the succession, and government reshuffles involving members of the family, have caused discontent among some Saudi princes. In the absence of other outlets, they have taken to Twitter to make their views known. One particular target for their anger is the head of the Royal Court and King Abdallah’s personal secretary, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri.
King’s sons elevated
Several recent appointments have involved Abdallah’s sons.
In 2010, Mit’ib Bin-Abdallah was made commander of the National Guard, a post his father had held since 1963. In May 2013, the status of the Guard was upgraded to a ministry and Mit’ib became minister and a member of the cabinet.
Mish’al Bin-Abdallah was appointed Governor of Mecca in December 2013 and Turki Bin-Abdallah named as Governor of Riyadh on 14 May 2014.
Nephews demoted
Turki’s appointment was part of a mini-reshuffle which also saw a number of armed forces chiefs replaced. In addition, Deputy Defence Minister Salman Bin-Sultan was replaced.
This was the third change in that post within 13 months, beginning with the dismissal of Salman’s brother Khalid in April 2013. The post of defence minister is held by the crown prince, Salman Bin-Abd-al-Aziz.
A third brother, the high-profile Bandar Bin-Sultan, ambassador to the US for over 20 years, was relieved of his duties as director of General Intelligence in April 2014.
Thus three sons of the late Crown Prince Sultan, who died in 2011, were removed from their positions in little over a year.
Lack of consultation
Some of the first royal murmurings about the many changes came after the announcement in March that Muqrin Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, the youngest surviving son of the country’s founder, had been appointed deputy crown prince.
His elder half-brother Talal felt it necessary, on 30 April, to say on Twitter that he had not congratulated Muqrin on his appointment despite having received a thank-you for his purported congratulations.
Talal, once known as the “Red prince” for his flirtation with Nasserism, made it clear that he was concerned that the appointment had been made without consultation with the Allegiance Commission.
This body, created by King Abdallah in 2006, was intended to involve senior princes in making decisions regarding the royal succession.
Talal has had a Twitter account since March 2011 and currently has 684,000 followers.
Corruption allegations
Talal’s son Khalid has also taken to Twitter to express his concerns.
A post on 9 May called for an urgent meeting with the king to discuss the succession issue and a plan for the transfer of power to a new generation, the grandsons of Abd-al-Aziz.
Other posts by Khalid Bin-Talal have taken aim at the head of the Royal Court, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri, and have included charges of corruption.
Fierce attacks on Al-Tuwayjiri have also been posted on Twitter by another prince, Sa’ud Bin-Sayf al-Nasr Bin-Sa’ud. In one series of tweets on 10 May he accused the king’s aide of corruption, abuse of power and tarnishing the reputation of the royal family.
King’s gatekeeper
Khalid al-Tuwayjiri became King Abdallah’s secretary when he was still crown prince. His father had held the post of adviser to the prince.
When Abdallah became king in 2005, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri was made head of the Royal Court. He was made secretary to the Allegiance Commission when it was established in 2006.
His public statements and media appearances have been very rare, although he did speak very briefly in a five-part documentary about the king broadcast by Al-Arabiya TV in 2007.
He can sometimes be seen in photographs standing behind the king or pushing the wheelchair of the ailing monarch, who is believed to be 90 years old.
The power behind the throne
Opposition sources and social media chatter depict him as an increasingly influential figure who controls access to the king and makes government decisions, except in sensitive areas such as security, defence and foreign affairs.
The anti-government website Miraat al-Jazirah has described him as the de facto or undeclared prime minister.
In January 2013, a group of clerics staged a protest outside the court in Riyadh.
They said they wanted to give Al-Tuwayjiri “advice” after a royal decree had appointed 30 women to the country’s consultative Shura Council.
Al-Tuwayjiri’s non-royal status makes it easier to target criticism at him rather than his royal master.
More public engagement
Al-Tuwayjiri has lately been adopting a slightly higher public profile, whether to counter the criticism of him or merely to keep up with the expansion of social media usage.
The Royal Court launched a website, Tawasol, on which citizens can submit complaints or requests for medical treatment.
And in March, Al-Tuwayjiri activated a Twitter account under his own name which also receives citizens’ requests and has now attracted over 500,000 followers.
This move prompted Khalid Bin-Talal to tweet sarcastically on 7 April that “the supreme guide” had opened his “personal court” on Twitter instead of the Royal Court.
Source: BBC Monitoring research 29 May 14
As the senior members of the Saudi royal family approach their nineties a change to the succession, and government reshuffles involving members of the family, have caused discontent among some Saudi princes. In the absence of other outlets, they have taken to Twitter to make their views known. One particular target for their anger is the head of the Royal Court and King Abdallah’s personal secretary, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri.
King’s sons elevated
Several recent appointments have involved Abdallah’s sons.
In 2010, Mit’ib Bin-Abdallah was made commander of the National Guard, a post his father had held since 1963. In May 2013, the status of the Guard was upgraded to a ministry and Mit’ib became minister and a member of the cabinet.
Mish’al Bin-Abdallah was appointed Governor of Mecca in December 2013 and Turki Bin-Abdallah named as Governor of Riyadh on 14 May 2014.
Nephews demoted
Turki’s appointment was part of a mini-reshuffle which also saw a number of armed forces chiefs replaced. In addition, Deputy Defence Minister Salman Bin-Sultan was replaced.
This was the third change in that post within 13 months, beginning with the dismissal of Salman’s brother Khalid in April 2013. The post of defence minister is held by the crown prince, Salman Bin-Abd-al-Aziz.
A third brother, the high-profile Bandar Bin-Sultan, ambassador to the US for over 20 years, was relieved of his duties as director of General Intelligence in April 2014.
Thus three sons of the late Crown Prince Sultan, who died in 2011, were removed from their positions in little over a year.
Lack of consultation
Some of the first royal murmurings about the many changes came after the announcement in March that Muqrin Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, the youngest surviving son of the country’s founder, had been appointed deputy crown prince.
His elder half-brother Talal felt it necessary, on 30 April, to say on Twitter that he had not congratulated Muqrin on his appointment despite having received a thank-you for his purported congratulations.
Talal, once known as the “Red prince” for his flirtation with Nasserism, made it clear that he was concerned that the appointment had been made without consultation with the Allegiance Commission.
This body, created by King Abdallah in 2006, was intended to involve senior princes in making decisions regarding the royal succession.
Talal has had a Twitter account since March 2011 and currently has 684,000 followers.
Corruption allegations
Talal’s son Khalid has also taken to Twitter to express his concerns.
A post on 9 May called for an urgent meeting with the king to discuss the succession issue and a plan for the transfer of power to a new generation, the grandsons of Abd-al-Aziz.
Other posts by Khalid Bin-Talal have taken aim at the head of the Royal Court, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri, and have included charges of corruption.
Fierce attacks on Al-Tuwayjiri have also been posted on Twitter by another prince, Sa’ud Bin-Sayf al-Nasr Bin-Sa’ud. In one series of tweets on 10 May he accused the king’s aide of corruption, abuse of power and tarnishing the reputation of the royal family.
King’s gatekeeper
Khalid al-Tuwayjiri became King Abdallah’s secretary when he was still crown prince. His father had held the post of adviser to the prince.
When Abdallah became king in 2005, Khalid al-Tuwayjiri was made head of the Royal Court. He was made secretary to the Allegiance Commission when it was established in 2006.
His public statements and media appearances have been very rare, although he did speak very briefly in a five-part documentary about the king broadcast by Al-Arabiya TV in 2007.
He can sometimes be seen in photographs standing behind the king or pushing the wheelchair of the ailing monarch, who is believed to be 90 years old.
The power behind the throne
Opposition sources and social media chatter depict him as an increasingly influential figure who controls access to the king and makes government decisions, except in sensitive areas such as security, defence and foreign affairs.
The anti-government website Miraat al-Jazirah has described him as the de facto or undeclared prime minister.
In January 2013, a group of clerics staged a protest outside the court in Riyadh.
They said they wanted to give Al-Tuwayjiri “advice” after a royal decree had appointed 30 women to the country’s consultative Shura Council.
Al-Tuwayjiri’s non-royal status makes it easier to target criticism at him rather than his royal master.
More public engagement
Al-Tuwayjiri has lately been adopting a slightly higher public profile, whether to counter the criticism of him or merely to keep up with the expansion of social media usage.
The Royal Court launched a website, Tawasol, on which citizens can submit complaints or requests for medical treatment.
And in March, Al-Tuwayjiri activated a Twitter account under his own name which also receives citizens’ requests and has now attracted over 500,000 followers.
This move prompted Khalid Bin-Talal to tweet sarcastically on 7 April that “the supreme guide” had opened his “personal court” on Twitter instead of the Royal Court.
Source: BBC Monitoring research 29 May 14
