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Mohammed bin Salman will offer his country’s condolences to the royal family after the queen’s death, a source told the Guardian, but there is no confirmation that he will attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey.
It will be the Saudi Crown Prince’s first visit to the UK the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the subsequent imposition of sanctions by Britain. These included travel bans on a group of courtiers close to the crown prince due to their alleged involvement in the assassination within the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.
Following Khashoggi’s death, US President Joe Biden, EU Council President Charles Michel and former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, they met with Prince Mohammed, often to urge the Saudis to increase oil production to help with energy prices.
Johnson met with the crown prince in March, but there was no sign that the Saudi regime is willing to increase production or make major internal reforms in the way it treats dissidents or punishes human rights defenders.
No explanation was provided by British or Saudi sources about Prince Mohammed’s detailed weekend plans.but sensitive judgments are still underway as to whether her attendance at the funeral represents an unacceptable threat to security or a distraction from the Queen’s commemoration due to the protests her presence might provoke.
In 2020, the UK sanctioned six Saudis for their alleged killing of Khashoggi. Some of them were senior advisers to the crown prince, including Ahmed al-AsiriDeputy Head of Saudi Intelligence; Saud bin Abdullah al-Qahtani, adviser to the crown prince at the royal court; Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy, medical examiner at the Saudi Interior Ministry; Mustafa al-Madani, brigadier general and intelligence officer in Saudi Arabia; Naif Hassan al-Arifi, First Lieutenant of External Intelligence; and Major General Mansour Othman Abahusain.
Prince Mohammed has always denied any prior knowledge of the attack. In 2020, a Saudi court overturned five death sentences for Khashoggi’s murder, with a sentence that jailed eight defendants for between seven and 20 years.
The Crown Prince last visited the UK in June 2018, when the UK praised Saudi Arabia for launching a major domestic reform program.
As part of a deep bond between the royal family and the Gulf monarchies, eKing Charles III was a frequent visitor to Saudi Arabia. It is the most visited country in the Middle East, having made up to 12 official visits since its inauguration as Prince Charles in 1967.
At one point he was learning Arabic due to his interest in Islam, while the Prince’s Foundation, dedicated to “realizing the vision of Prince of Wales to create communities for a more sustainable world, ”had satellite operations in Riyadh.
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