Royal palace confirms Saudi Crown Prince's death

• Image Credit: Reuters
• Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud smiles at the Royal palace in Riyadh in this January 14, 2008 file photo. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz has died, CNN reported on October 22, 2011. Prince Sultan, thought to be aged about 86, had been on a visit to the United States for medical tests. As well as heir to the throne of the world's top oil exporter, he was defence minister.

Riyadh: The Saudi royal palace on Saturday announced the death of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, national television reported.

"With deep sorrow and sadness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan... who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness," said the statement carried on state news agency SPA and state television.

Saudi television broke its schedules early on Saturday to broadcast Koranic verses accompanied by footage of the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

Funeral Tuesday

Funeral services will be held in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday, SPA said.

Prince Sultan, born in 1928, was the 15th son of Saudi King Abdul Aziz.

Widely thought to be next in line after Sultan is Interior Minister Prince Nayef, who was named second-deputy prime minister in 2009.

King Abdullah is in his late 80s and underwent back surgery earlier this month but has been pictured since then in apparently good health.

The king was absent for three months late in 2010 while he underwent treatment for a herniated disc that caused blood to accumulate around his spine.

Prince Nayef, who is in his late 70s, has a reputation as being more conservative than either the crown prince or king.

Line of succession

Unlike in European monarchies, the line of succession does not move directly from father to eldest son, but has moved down a line of brothers born to the kingdom's founder Ibn Saud, who died in 1953.

Anyone who rises to the throne is likely to maintain the kingdom's close alliance with the United States. But there could be internal differences.

Abdullah has been seen as a reformer, making incremental changes to improve the position of women, for example, and to modernise the kingdom despite some backlash from the ultra-conservative Wahhabi clerics who give the royal family the religious legitimacy needed to rule.

Nayef, for example, is often seen as closer to the clerics.

American news channel CNN had earlier reported his death quoting unidentified State Department sources.

Prince Sultan had been on a visit to the United States for medical tests.

Heir to the throne

As well as heir to the throne of the world's top oil exporter, he was defence minister.

A State Department official reached by AFP said the department was "not ready" to make a comment on the matter, but did not rule out commenting later.

US-Saudi security alliance

A strong supporter of the US-Saudi security alliance, he promoted large purchases of US arms, including tanks, helicopters, missiles and AWACS airborne warning and control systems.

According to media reports, in 2004, the prince was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent several surgeries.

In 2009, he spent several months at New York Presbyterian Hospital where he underwent more surgery and then went for recovery to Agadir, Morocco.

He has spent much of last year in medical treatment.