The Guardian has reported on rumors of a widening rift at the highest levels of the Saudi monarchy. And though these rumors are likely to remain unconfirmed given the opaque nature of Saudi politics, they do fit into an emerging pattern of disclosures suggesting that not everyone is on the same page in the House of Saud.

Background

According to the report, the relationship between King Salman and his heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (known as ‘MBS’), has deteriorated further in recent weeks.

Their estrangement began with disagreements over the war in Yemen, and widened after the Khashoggi assassination, which the King worried would have a deleterious impact on US-Saudi relations.

A new breach is said to have opened in February during the king’s official visit to Egypt. During the trip, the king received a tip from an advisor that a move was about to be made against him, prompting him to sack his security detail and fly in an entirely new team of loyalists from Saudi Arabia.

This account of the security detail swap is largely speculative and unconfirmed, having come from an anonymous tip-off to The Guardian. What is known is that upon the king’s return to the Kingdom, the crown prince was not waiting at the airport to receive the monarch as normal protocol dictates.