January 2015—Abdullah, Saudi Arabia’s 90-year-old monarch, lay in a hospital, dying. His half-brother Salman stood ready to take the throne. His son, Mohammed bin Salman—known as MBS—was about to shake the kingdom.

At 29 years, MBS had grand designs for Saudi Arabia and planned to bring the country into the modern age. At the time he was most apprehensive of opposition from within the royal family, and so, under extraordinary security precautions he secretly met a high ranking security officer, Saad al-Jabri. MBS and Jabri sat in a room with the phone lines disconnected and mobile phones left outside to ensure their conversation remained confidential.

He outlined his vision to Jabri of revitalizing the kingdom by selling a stake in state oil giant Aramco to wean the country off oil, investing billions in Silicon Valley tech ventures like Uber, and boosting the Saudi workforce by empowering women. “Have you heard of Alexander the Great?” he responded when Jabri asked about his grand ambitions.

That conversation had been scheduled for 30 minutes; it would last three hours, and Jabri’s colleagues grew worried about his prolonged absence. In our documentary, our team spoke to many Saudi insiders and Western officials to detail MBS’s rise and the controversies of his rule. The Saudi government declined to comment to our documentary on its findings.

Jabri is a senior Saudi official and friend of Western intelligence chiefs who have provided significant insights into the reign of MBS. Though branded by the Saudis as some sort of discredited former official, his accounts remain breathtakingly detailed for a look at the inner mechanisms of MBS’ rule.

MBS is now 38, holds extraordinary influence as the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, and has launched many of the ambitious reforms he earlier described to Jabri. This was combined with many human right accusations, inclusive of suppressing free speech, executing many, and imprisoning women’s right advocates.

Ascension to Power

The first king of Saudi Arabia had at least 42 sons, among them the father of MBS Salman. The crown would pass between these sons, and after two of these sons died in 2011 and 2012, it was that Salman became the crown prince. The rise of MBS to the limelight was wholly unexpected; Western intelligence agencies failed to project his meteoric rise.

“He grew up in comparative obscurity,” says Sir John Sawers, who headed MI6. “He didn’t have leadership written all over him.” Probably, it was his upbringing in a palace that indulged misbehavior that helped turn MBS into a man who acts on impulse without thinking through the consequences.

MBS made his name in Riyadh initially in his late teens, acquiring the nickname “Abu Rasasa” or “Father of the Bullet” for having sent a bullet to a judge in a property dispute. He has shown an element of ruthlessness,” says Sawers. “He’s not a man to cross lightly, which is one of the reasons that he’s been able to drive through changes that earlier rulers couldn’t.

One notable reform is MBS’s move to cut off Saudi funding to extremist mosques and schools abroad, for which he has been given credits of tending towards global security.

The War in Yemen

Two months after Salman became king, MBS led a coalition into Yemen against the Houthi movement, which had seized significant territory. This intervention, intended to counter Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions facing famine.

“It was a poorly conceived decision,” says Sir John Jenkins, former British ambassador. “The U.S. military was given just 12 hours’ notice, which is highly unusual.”

Though the campaign succeeded in bolstering MBS’s image domestically, it set the path for a series of expensive mistakes. MBS’s emergence as one who favored fast, unilateral decision-making became known over the traditional Saudi deliberative process.

Jabri said that MBS had forged his father’s signature to deploy ground troops into Yemen, despite American warnings that it would only provide air support. “We were surprised to see a decree allowing ground troops,” Jabri says. “MBS’s father’s mental state was deteriorating.”

Sir John Sawers accepts that he cannot confirm the allegations of forgery but the unilateral nature of MBS’s decision-making was palpable. “It was MBS’s decision to intervene, not his father’s, even though the king was brought in at the end.”

The Khashoggi Affair

The 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has also powerfully implicated MBS. There were 15 members in the team, which included the bodyguards of MBS, and to this day Khashoggi’s body has not been found. The event has been one of huge controversy.

Professor Bernard Haykel, a friend of MBS, remarks that the prince seemed aghast at the international outcry. Dennis Ross, who met MBS after the event, was told by him that it was a “colossal blunder.” He has always denied being directly involved but accepted responsibility because it happened on his watch. A declassified February 2021 U.S. intelligence report suggests MBS was complicit.

Challenges Ahead and Future Directions

With King Salman aging, MBS is likely to be in charge of Saudi Arabia for possibly decades to come. He has shown concern about an assassination, possibly due to his efforts to normalize ties with Israel.

“MBS understands the risks involved,” says Professor Haykel. “He is aware that many wish him harm.

He remains a controversial figure, often criticized for his ruthless approach and ethical aftertaste in his policies. Jonathan Rugman, consultant producer of “The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince,” explores these complex dynamics.

Head to BBC InDepth for much more analysis and in-depth reporting: We give you fresh perspectives and detailed investigations into the big stories. Let us know what you think as we continue to bring you thorough coverage of the stories that matter.