Saudi Arabia confirms crown prince won’t attend Arab summit in Algeria

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will not travel to Algeria next month to attend a summit of the Arab League on medical advice, the royal court confirmed in a statement on state media on Sunday.

Doctors had advised Prince Mohammed, 37, to avoid long-haul flights that might affect his middle ear, said the royal court. It has not previously stated that the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, had ear problems.

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will head the kingdom’s delegation to the summit instead.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, named Prince Mohammed as the kingdom’s prime minister in September in a move a Saudi official described as being in line with the monarch’s previous delegation of duties to his son and heir, including representing the kingdom on foreign visits.