The extraordinary story of how Prince Mohammed bin Salman - MBS - went from being just one of hundreds of junior princes in Saudi Arabia to seizing power. Featuring contributions from friends, advisers, western spies, diplomats and those who had been in the inner circles of the Saudi court.
Chapter 1 Game of Thrones
Explores the tension between his desire to reform one of the most conservative countries in the world and his seeming willingness to suppress opposition mercilessly.
Chapter 2 Kingdom Come
Explores what MBS did once he had effectively seized power by becoming crown prince, hearing from friends, advisers, western spies, diplomats and from those who had been in the inner circles of the Saudi court. It's a tale of determination and dynamism but also impatience and recklessness.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: مُحَمَّدْ بِنْ سَلْمَانْ آلْ سُعُودْ, romanized: Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), popularly known by his initials as MBS or MbS, is the heir apparent to the Saudi Arabian throne. He is currently Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. He is the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and grandson of the nation's founder, King Abdulaziz.
Mohammed was born as the first child of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain. After obtaining a law degree from King Saud University, he became an advisor to his father. He was appointed deputy crown prince and defense minister after his father became king in 2015, then promoted to crown prince in 2017. Mohammed succeeded his father as prime minister in 2022.
Since his appointment as crown prince in 2017, Mohammed has introduced a series of social and economic reforms. These include curtailing the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the powers of the religious police and improving women's rights, the removal of the ban on female drivers in 2018 and weakening the male-guardianship system in 2019. His Saudi Vision 2030 program aims to reduce the Saudi economy's reliance on oil through investment in non-oil sectors including technology and tourism, which has contributed to greater diversification of the economy.
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