House of Saud: A Family at War

Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was constituted in 1932, inexhaustible wealth has granted the Kingdom's ruling royal family total power at home and the freedom to act with relative impunity abroad. A growing regional confrontation with Iran has now placed the Kingdom at the heart of the crisis in the Middle East.

Enter a new Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman. This 32 year-old has pledged to transform the Kingdom and has taken a number of radical steps. As the new leader steps into the limelight, this three-part series highlights the challenges faced by Saudi Arabia today and examines the role the country plays in our world.

The new Crown Prince has stated that he wants to return to a "moderate Islam"; with this in mind, the first film in the series examines the family's connections with those who have advocated an ultra-conservative form of Islam. It considers how those connections, combined with a desire to combat Iranian influence across the region, have led Saudis, even in recent years, to provide financial support to those who promote violent extremism. It also explores how the struggle with Iran has led the Kingdom into a controversial and brutal war in Yemen.

This episode tells the inside story of how some of the richest and most prominent Saudi royals were caught up in the purge. The detentions opened the door on a highly secret world of kickbacks and bribes on a monumental scale, which have also embroiled many foreign governments and some of the world's leading companies.

The House of Saud is now facing a moment of unprecedented instability. This episode looks at how the family stays in power.