But whether the prince is tough and ambitious enough to carve out his own turf in what has become a political and economic environment dominated by his younger half brother is another question.

“Is he going to be able to do his own thing?” asked Paul Stevens, analyst at Chatham House, a research organization, or has he been installed “to just do as he is told?”

The prince has long seemed a person who preferred to stay in the background, calling himself a “kitchen and basement” man in a recent talk with reporters, according to Reuters. When called on, though, he has played significant roles, such as in 2008, when he helped organize a conference of political figures and oil chief executives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that helped calm markets after prices had hit record levels. Recently, he has been trying to resolve a dispute with Kuwait that has halted production by Chevron in the so-called partition zone between the two countries.

Cordial to other delegates from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and friendly if cautious with journalists, the prince mostly stayed out of the limelight in deference to oil ministers like Ali al-Naimi and Mr. Falih, who were nominally his superiors. Over the years, he has often been present at OPEC meetings or at the minister’s side in parlays with oil company chief executives. In the past, he has rarely spoken for quotation but has directed reporters to the occasional uncontroversial speech he made at oil conferences.

Bassam Fattouh , director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, a research organization, said that the prince was likely to bring a different approach to areas like OPEC, where Mr. Falih alienated some members by his focus on Russia, a major oil producer but not a member of OPEC.

“He will try to move away from this idea that the big boys make the decisions, and try to involve others,” Mr. Fattouh said. (The prince serves on the institute’s board.)