RABAT – Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz is alive and in “excellent shape”, its foreign minister said on Thursday after rumours about the king’s health triggered a spike in the price of oil. Abdullah, around 87, has been resting in Morocco since January following a two-month stay in the US where he underwent surgery twice after a blood clot complicated a slipped disc, state media have said.
“I’d like to reassure you about the health of the king. He is in excellent shape. He is undergoing therapy as you know. Doctors are suggesting a certain amount of therapy,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said. “He is doing twice as much. They are suggesting a certain time for therapy. He is looking to cut it in half,” he added.
