The President’s Office has quietly deleted a press release stating that President Mohamed Muizzu met with a Saudi “prince” earlier this month, after it was revealed the individual is not a member of the Saudi royal family.
The press release, published under article number 33647 and dated 5 May, referred to a meeting between President Muizzu and “His Royal Highness” Fahad Saud Al-Shalan. The article has since been removed from the official website and is no longer available in the online archives, although the surrounding entries—33646 and 33648—remain accessible, confirming the deletion.
Despite the removal, the President’s Office has made no public acknowledgement of the error or clarification regarding the individual’s identity.
According to diplomatic sources, Fahad Saud Al-Shalan is not included in any official lists of royal descendants of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. In the Kingdom, the title “Royal Highness” is reserved for the direct descendants of King Abdulaziz through his sons and daughters.
Further raising eyebrows, no representative from the Saudi Embassy in Malé was present during the meeting at the President’s Office. The Saudi Embassy raised concerns with the Maldivian government over the official portrayal of a non-royal individual as a member of the Saudi royal family, a source familiar with the matter told Maldives Republic.
The government has not publicly commented on the issue or explained how the individual was officially described as royalty. The lack of transparency has raised questions about the vetting process ahead of high-level diplomatic engagements.