It has often been said that Saudi Arabia is a kingdom with many kings. That, at least, has been the prevailing impression in recent years, as the authority of an incapacitated King Fahd lay formally in the hands of Crown Prince Abdullah - yet was, in effect, divided among several of the monarch's brothers.

Though key decisions have been adopted by consensus, several senior princes and full brothers of the king - particularly Sultan, the defence minister, Naif, the interior minister, and Salman, the governor of Riyadh - had created their own independent power centres. This system led to gridlock and produced conflicting agendas, sending a worrying message of royal family disunity.