Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has died and Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has been appointed king.

The new Crown Prince is Muqrin bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.

The 90-year-old King Abdullah had battled with health issues for a number of years, the most recent was a bout of pneumonia for which he was hospitalised at the end of last year. He became king in 2005.

Prince Salman’s appointment as king had been expected since 2012 when he became crown prince following the death of Prince Nayef. He was also defence minister, after being appointed to that role in 2011 following the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.

Similarly, Prince Muqrin was expected to be crown prince following his appointment as deputy crown prince in March 2014.

The kingdom has come under the spotlight in recent months due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding oil prices. The issue is likely to be one of the main challenges facing the new king during the first months of his reign.