The king undertook the trip on the advice of a medical team treating him that suggested he visit a spinal cord center for a checkup as he has been feeling pain in his back because of a slipped disc and blood clot since last week.The king delegated power to Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, who arrived from Agadir, Morocco, early Monday morning. “As we have decided to travel abroad on Monday the 16th of Dul Hijjah, corresponding to Nov. 22, we depute with this order Crown Prince Sultan to run the affairs of the government and take care of the welfare of the people during our absence from the Kingdom,” the king said in an order.Before the king’s departure, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, was sworn in as the new minister of state, a member of the Council of Ministers and the commander of the National Guard.
“I swear in the name of Allah the Great that I will be loyal to my religion, then to the king and my country, I will not divulge the secrets of the state, I will safeguard the interests and regulations of the state and I will discharge my duties with honesty, trustworthiness and sincerity,” Prince Miteb said while taking the oath of office.After the ceremony, the prince greeted the king and the king congratulated the prince and prayed to the Almighty to grant the prince success in his service to the religion and the nation.Shortly before the king’s departure, he received Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh who wished him a fast recovery and good health.The delegation accompanying the king includes Prince Khaled bin Abdullah, advisers to the king Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah and Prince Mansour bin Nasser, as well as President of the Royal Court Khaled bin Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijeri. Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah is also accompanying the king.
The National Guard was established in 1949.The first commander of the force was Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Al-Farhan. But it was King Abdullah who gave a cultural character to the security organization after he became the commander of National Guard in 1963. In addition to undertaking security duties, the National Guard also plays a dominant role in the promotion of culture and heritage in the Kingdom.It plays a major part in running the annual Janadriya festival, one of the leading cultural events in the Arab world. Prince Badr was appointed its deputy commander in 1968. Prince Miteb was appointed assistant commander for military affairs in 2000 – Arabnews
