newspaper revealedThe GuardianThat Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Britain to offer condolences for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, an unidentified source reported.
The newspaper said, however, that there was no confirmation as to whether or not Mohammed bin Salman would attend the queen’s funeral.
He added that British and Saudi sources have not provided any explanation of the Saudi Crown Prince’s plans regarding the weekend, which will see the funeral ceremony.
The newspaper stressed that his participation in the funeral is believed to constitute an “unacceptable security threat or disrupt ceremonies” due to the possibility of protests against the crown prince if he attends.
This will be the first alleged visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to the UK since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018 by Saudi agents.
London has imposed sanctions on the Saudis in connection with the murder, including those close to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including travel bans.
A US intelligence report concluded that Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved Khashoggi’s arrest or killing. The Saudi Crown Prince denies these allegations.
The Saudi Crown Prince’s last visit to the UK took place in June 2018, when London praised Riyadh’s plans to implement internal reforms.
Elizabeth II’s funeral will take place next Monday at Westminster Abbey Church in London, where millions of people are expected to arrive, which poses a major security and logistics challenge.
This is the first ceremony of its kind to be held in the UK in nearly six decades. More than 100 kings, heads of state and dignitaries of royal families from around the world are expected to attend.
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