During a June 3 meeting at Al-Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah with officials concerned with the fight against corruption, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud said, “Any citizen has the right to file a lawsuit against the king, crown prince or any member of the royal family.” He referred to a case in 1928, when an indebted citizen sued Salman's father, King Abdul-Aziz, before Riyadh judge Sheikh Saad bin Atiq.

Regardless of the plausibility of such an incident happening again, the fact that Salman mentioned such a story shows that he aims to emphasize the Saudi regime’s conservative approach and the tight relations between the regime and the Salafist institution. Saudi rulers are subject to Salafist provisions, unlike other state rulers. It is also indicative of Salman’s strong memory.

An official who attended the meeting told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the king mentioned in his speech Saudi Arabia’s three political phases, starting with Muhammad bin Saud in 1744, then moving on from Turki ibn Abdullah in 1824 to the current reign of Salman. According to the official, by mentioning these phases, the king is indicating a current transition into a fourth phase in Saudi Arabia's history, after Salman rearranged the ruling establishment. The authority is now in the hands of the grandchildren of the founding family.

Although the transition process after the death of King Abdullah happened in a quiet and traditional way, as expected, the fast and powerful royal decisions and changes made by Salman immediately after ascending the throne was a sign of royal will to fix what the former head of the Royal Court, Khaled al-Tuwaijri, had done.