ABSTRACT
King Khalid, a moderate conservative with little experience in administrative or political affairs, was in a very poor state of health when he came to power. The relationship between Khalid and Fahd resembled to some extent that between Saud and Faysal in the late 1950s. Then, the Crown Prince had almost complete authority, but the final power rested in the hands of the King. An important faction of the new elites supported the conservatives rather than Fahd's modernist camp, as had been the case with Saud and Faysal in the late 1950s. Saudi Arabia's influence and prestige in the Arab world and the international arena continued to rise after the death of Faysal despite the struggle for power in the royal family. Saudi Arabia's rapid modernisation since the late 1960s, and the socio-cultural changes which it induced, rekindled the fundamentalist sentiments which had been dormant after the suppression of the 1927-29 Ikhwan rebellion.
