Saudi king cuts short controversial holiday in France
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has cut short a holiday on the French Riviera where the closure of a beach for his security caused an uproar, BBC reported.
After only eight days of what was planned as a three-week stay, the king flew on to Morocco, officials said.
With him were at least half of his 1,000-strong entourage, regional official Philippe Castanet added.
More than 100,000 people signed a petition against the closure of the public beach at Vallauris.
The Mirandole beach is directly below King Salman's private villa and French officials agreed to seal it off for the monarch's security.
Critics of the move said it was a breach of French laws on equality.
A Saudi source quoted by Reuters said the king's departure was part of his holiday programme and not connected to the media coverage the visit had attracted.