Washington: According to US officials Prince Mohammed bin Salman has blocked his mother from seeing his father, King Salman, more than two years ago and has kept her away from him as the young prince rapidly amassed power.
US news agency NBC News has revealed in its report that 14 current and former senior US officials told that secret intelligence informed that Prince Mohammed bin Salman has prevented his mother from seeing his father King Salman for two years. It has been told that Prince Mohammed, a key ally of the Trump White House, has concocted various explanations of his mother’s whereabouts over the years, such as that she’s out of the country receiving medical treatment, so King Salman would not know his son has been behind her continued absence.
When Saudi Arabia’s crown prince visits the White House next week, he’s expected to be welcomed as a reformer who’s expanded women’s rights in one of the most restrictive countries in the world, allowing them to drive and attend sports events. However according to US officials, there is one Saudi woman who has not benefited from the prince’s empowerment measures, she is his own mother.
The officials claim that the crown prince has placed his mother under house arrest at least for some time at a palace in Saudi Arabia, without the king’s knowledge.
According to NBC News, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the 82-year-old King Salman has at times been told his third wife, the crown prince’s mother, Princess Fahda bint Falah al Hathleen, is out of the country receiving medical treatment. They said the king has told people around him that he misses her and apparently does not know her true location or status.