King Salman of Saudi Arabia unexpectedly left the French Riviera on Sunday, local officials said, adding that a beach that had been controversially closed for the royal’s holiday would now reopen to the public.
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An official source in Riyadh denied the king had any problem with media reports about his controversial Riviera vacation and had travelled to Morocco “as per the holiday programme”.
Local traders were delighted by the presence of his wealthy, 1,000-strong entourage. Workers had tried to install a fence to close access to the beach during the king’s arrival, but local authorities intervened and it was removed, as was a metal catwalk bolted to the rock cliffs upon which the villa sits.
The source added that the king respected the French people and hoped his schedule next year would include a visit to nearby Cannes, where the famous film festival is held annually.
“There is nothing abnormal about his departure after eight days”, Castanet said.
Falcou also noted that an “illegal” elevator that was installed from the villa to the beach was being dismantled Monday.
Last week up to 100,000 people had signed a petition in opposition to the beach closure and the unauthorized construction of the gate and lift on public property.
Jean-Noel Falcou, a town councilor in Vallauris who had mounted a petition against the closure of the beach, said in a blog post on Monday that King Salman had left for Morocco.
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Critics of the beach closure said it was a breach of French laws on equality. He did not specify a reason for the departures, nor say if the monarch planned to return to France. As said by French daily Le Monde, Saudi authorities had hinted at the time that the king might remain in France for up to four weeks.
