King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to travel to Britain on Monday at the start of a four-nation European tour, the royal court announced on Sunday. The tour, which will also take the king to Italy, Germany and Turkey, is intended to "develop bilateral relations and to study regional and international issues of joint importance," the palace said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.
Saudi Arabia announced in July that King Abdullah would make a three-day visit to Britain at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.
King Abdullah, whose visit to Britain will be the first since he ascended the throne of the oil powerhouse two years ago, visited France, Spain and Poland during a European tour in June.