The once flamboyant Saudi billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal looked visibly uncomfortable in a television interview last week as he dispensed effusive praise for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. Two weeks earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri laughed nervously on stage as he applauded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi financier and the Lebanese prime minister have been targets in the young prince's ruthless attempt to impose his will on Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. But exhibiting public support appears to be a requirement now that Prince Mohammed is in trouble, and on a drive to clear his name.
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