News & Views

The funeral of Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's crown prince, has taken place in Riyadh, touching off what is likely to be the first of several major changes in the country's line of succession over the next few years. Hundreds of foreign dignitaries attended Tuesday's ceremonies, which began shortly before afternoon prayers. Sultan died on Saturday at the age of 86 while receiving medical treatment in the United States, according to a statement released by the Saudi state press agency. Sultan's sons and brothers carried his corpse, covered in a brown shroud, through a throng of mourners in Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque. He was buried in Al-Oud cemetery, the final resting place of numerous other Saudi royals. King Abdullah, the country's ailing monarch, attended the funeral in a wheelchair. The heads of several neighbouring Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, were also in attendance in Riyadh.