Saudi Arabia’s young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is touring key capitals this week as part of a charm offensive as his own father the Sultan ages and prepares for a transition of power, reports The Guardian.

They report:

Saudi Arabia’s heir in waiting, Mohammed bin Salman, has embarked on his first trip abroad, a three-country visit with stops in Cairo, London and New York that aims to press his credentials on a wary global stage.

When he arrives in London on Wednesday, Prince Mohammed will be received as head-of-state-in-waiting, and will travel to Windsor Castle for a dinner with the Queen. As a senior member of Britain’s most important trading partner in the Middle East, he will also arrive with a twin agenda: as head of a lucrative trade mission, and as a leader looking for validation after a chequered debut year in foreign affairs.

The 32-year-old crown prince’s international debut follows one of the most extraordinary periods in the country’s modern history, a time of overhaul at home and upheaval in the region.