The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince review: The strange story of the Saudi crown prince, part playboy, part mafia boss, writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

Judgement:

Who is 45th in line to the British throne? Probably Danny Dyer, but that question is irrelevant because in our new, slim monarchy, they will never stand on the palace balcony.

But in Saudi Arabia, the question proved crucial. The country’s founder and first absolute ruler, King Saud, had 45 sons by more than 20 wives… and they were all in contention to become his heir.

The first ten minutes of The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince introduced us to the country’s next six monarchs, all half-brothers—since the line of succession ran sideways, brother by brother, rather than being passed down through the generations. The current king, Salman, was Saud’s 25th son.

He is now 88 and, having no brothers, is succeeded by his own son Mohammed bin Salman al Saud… who has somehow had to wipe out a large number of his nephews and nieces to secure his inheritance.

Saudi Arabia’s founder and first absolute ruler, King Saud, had 45 sons by more than 20 wives… and all of them were candidates for his throne.

Kig Saud is succeeded by his own son Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, who has had to dismiss a large number of nephews and nieces to secure his inheritance.

The bulk of this intricate but intriguing documentary, the first of two, consists of a portrait of the crown prince, told partly by those who know him – friends and foes alike – but mostly by archive news footage and Morven Christie’s narration. Next week’s episode will cover the infamous murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Mohammed likes to be called by his initials, MBS. That seems an odd choice, because it makes him sound like a furniture store with a never-ending sale.

He has much cooler nicknames, like the Bullet Guy (because he reportedly once sent an envelope with a bullet in it to a judge, as a hint to ensure the court ruling would go in his favor).

After he launched an attack on Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, giving his American allies just 12 hours’ notice of his intentions, the Saudi media began calling him the Prince of Decisiveness—a title the Duke of Edinburgh would have envied.

Typical MBS policies range from public relations coups to mafia tactics. In April 2016, taking advantage of his aging father’s autocratic power, he dismantled Saudi Arabia’s religious police—eliminating their influence with a single decree.

He then kicked off a superhero convention where men and women were allowed to interact in public for the first time, angering ultra-conservatives.

But he is also notorious for taking rivals hostage and intimidating them into submission. Dissent is prohibited and the law is enforced by kidnap squads.

Experts including British national security adviser Sir Kim Darrouch and former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers offered reserved insights, helping to unravel the contradictions in MBS’s personality.

He is a smiling playboy who loves the Maldives and owns a South African game reserve. But a former high-ranking Saudi insider now in exile claims he also once suggested assassinating his father’s predecessor as king.

The murder weapon is said to be a handshake, while he wore an antique Russian ring with a poisonous needle attached to it.

The chances are slim that you will hear one strange story all week.