Saudis to swear allegiance to new crown prince

Saudis were invited on Saturday to swear allegiance to their new crown prince, Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who succeeded his brother Prince Sultan who died in a US hospital last week.

RIYADH — Saudis were invited on Saturday to swear allegiance to their new crown prince, Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who succeeded his brother Prince Sultan who died in a US hospital last week.

The palace, in a statement carried by state news agency SPA, said Prince Nayef would in keeping with Saudi tradition receive his subjects at a palace in Riyadh in the afternoon.

Saudis across the country are also being called upon to swear allegiance to their new crown prince in front of provincial governors, posts held by members of the ruling Al-Saud family, it said.

Nayef — who served as interior minister for nearly four decades and led a crackdown on Al Qaeda in the Kingdom — was named in a royal decree on Thursday to succeed Prince Sultan, two days after he was buried in Riyadh.

The decree called on the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz's inner circle to recognise Nayef’s new status.