Picture
It may seem odd that the heir to a throne is aged 83 but such is the current state of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud had been suffering from colon cancer for some time. He is thought to have been in New York when he died, early October 22, 2011, having undergone surgery in July of this year. Recently he had been undergoing medical tests in the US.

It is always a sad time for relatives when a loved one dies, no matter how old he or she is. The announcement from the Royal family read, "With deep sorrow and sadness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz mourns the death of his brother and his Crown Prince Sultan... who died at dawn this morning Saturday outside the kingdom following an illness."

In spite of his advancing years and ill health Crown Prince Sultan was minister of defence and aviation in Saudi Arabia. It is "closed shop" as far as politics and free thinking goes it appears. His role as heir apparent looks set to be filled by 78-year-old Prince Nayef.

However, with all of the leading lights of the family in their seventies or eighties it is not clear what will happen in the not too distant future of Saudi Arabia. RIP