King ‘Abdullah Leaves New York Hospital

King ‘Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has left a New York hospital after his two rounds of back surgery. He will spend some recovery time in New York.

The King's surgery, and the precarious health of the Crown Prince, have sparked speculation about the line of succession, though the Saudis do not care for such speculation, and a Saudi paper last month decried the British press' speculation about British succession, without, of course, drawing any parallels.

The fact of the matter is that the Family does not discuss its inner dynamics, and however much intellectual exercise we may get from various succession scenarios, no one who knows is going to talk, and no one who's talking actually knows.