Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has returned home after splashing out $100million on a month-long holiday in Morocco.
The King was welcomed home at Jeddah airport on Wednesday by his son, Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, as well as Prince Khaled al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, governor of Mecca, upon his return.
He had spent a month at his favourite holiday spot, Tangier, in the north west of Morocco, along with an entourage of more than 1,000, who were booked into luxury hotels.
The king himself stayed in his 74-acre summer palace, one of his many properties around the world, which boasts lavish restaurants, and impressive views of the sea.
Expenses during the month-long break included more than 200 cars, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reports.
The 81-year-old’s summer palace has been renovated extensively over the past 12 months, with helipads among the features added.
According to reports in Morocco, King Salman’s trip accounted for 1.5 per cent of the country’s foreign tourism revenue.
When he arrived at the Ibn Battouta Airport, the king was greeted by Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani.
King Salman opted to go on vacation at a time of high tension in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia locked in a political row with Qatar which has seen transport links to Doha severed since June.
Satellite images from October 2016 showed a number of upgrades the King made to his retreat in Morocco.
It now has three helipads, several extra buildings and a tent the size of a circus big top.
The sprawling complex is surrounded by 1,500m of wall, staffed by 30 members of the Moroccan royal guard, has its own medical facilities and top-notch restaurant-style kitchens.
Meanwhile, earlier this month another Saudi Prince, Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, swapped his superyacht for a bike trip in Turkey.
The prince, who is worth an eyewatering £18billion, was spotted cycling topless and was wearing a pair of yellow shorts.
It comes after King Salman made the shock decision to appoint his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince and heir to the throne in June this year.
The King made a surprise reshuffle and removed his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as crown prince in favour of his 31-year-old son.
His son Salman, nicknamed ‘Mr Everything’, is seen as symbolising the hopes of the youth of the country’s population, more than half of which is under 25.
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