Saudi crown prince 'stripped of some powers' amid rift with king: report

Saudi Arabia's crown prince has reportedly been stripped of some of his financial and economic powers amid a growing rift with his father the king.

Sources told The Guardian in a report published on Monday that King Salman has reigned in his controversial son after he missed an important cabinet meeting.

The report said the king announced the move to restrict Mohammed bin Salman's responsibilities to senior ministers earlier last week.

"The king is said to have asked Bin Salman to be at this cabinet meeting, but he failed to attend," the report said.

It added that royal adviser, Musaed al-Aiban, has been appointed to informally oversee investment decisions in place of Prince Mohammed.

According to the report, the crown prince has failed to attend recent cabinet meetings and high-profile talks with foreign officials.

It added that tensions have been growing between the father and son over important decisions made without his approval.

Prince Mohammed has recently come under fire over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.

He has been widely accused of being directly responsible for the killing - a charge Riyadh vehemently denies.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on Sunday that Prince Mohammed approved a secret campaign to silence dissenters a year before Khashoggi's murder.

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