• Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been named prime minister.
• His father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, is the real leader of the oil-rich Gulf state.
• Another of his sons, Prince Khalid bin Salman, was named as the new defence minister.

The powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has been named prime minister, which is a job that has always been held by the king.

People already see King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s 37-year-old son as the real leader of the oil-rich Gulf state. The king is 86 years old.

A Basic Law exception was mentioned in the royal decree that gave him his new job as prime minister.

An official told the news agency Reuters that the move was in line with what the king had already given him to do.

“The crown prince already oversees the main executive bodies of the state every day,” the official said. “In this context, his new job as prime minister makes sense.”

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the royal court, said on Twitter that Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion “formalises his actual role and eliminates previous protocol issues of seniority with other heads of government.” He also said, “He now ranks as a head of government de jure, not just de facto.”

Even though he’s been to the hospital twice this year, the king will still lead the cabinet meetings he goes to.

Prince Khalid bin Salman, another of his sons, was named as the new defence minister in the decree. A third person, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, still has the important job of energy minister in the country that exports the most oil in the world.

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