Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has died throwing his brother Prince Nayef into line to succeed King Abdullah as leader of the key oil producer

Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has died, a palace announcement on state television said on Saturday, throwing his brother Prince Nayef into line to succeed King Abdullah as leader of the key oil producer.
  
The crown prince, aged around 86, who had served as the kingdom's defense chief for nearly five decades, had been in the United States since mid-June for medical treatment. He was operated on in July but no information had been released on his health since then.
  
A half brother of King Abdullah, Sultan had spent long periods abroad for medical treatment. He died while the monarch himself, 87, remains in hospital in Riyadh, a week after he had an operation on his back. State television aired footage Wednesday of King Abdullah in hospital as he received royal dignitaries.
  
The king was operated on in November for a debilitating herniated disc complicated by a haematoma, or blood clot that put pressure on his spine and underwent further surgery to repair several vertebrae.
  
Prince Sultan's funeral will take place on Tuesday after his body has been repatriated from the United States.