Saudi king cuts short stay in south of France after beach closure controversy

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman left the south of France for Morocco, cutting short a planned three-week stay after a petition from some 150,000 residents over the closure of a public beach outside his villa.

A Saudi source said the king had arrived in Morocco, saying this was part of his holiday programme and had nothing to do with the media coverage that his visit had attracted.

Philippe Castanet, a local French government official, said the beach had been reopened. He added that about half of the king’s 1,000-person entourage had left along with him. He did not specify a reason for the departures nor if the monarch planned to return to France.

The closure of the public beach for privacy and security reasons stirred up a local storm.