Officials in Saudi Arabia have denied reports that the former next in line to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, has been put under the watch of guards loyal to his successor and barred from leaving the country.

Prince bin Nayef, also formerly the country’s interior minister, was last week stripped of his positions and replaced by King Salman’s favourite son, the young economic reformist - but foreign policy hawk - Mohammed bin Salman.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Prince bin Nayef had been effectively put under house arrest at his palace in Jeddah and his security detail replaced with men loyal to Prince bin Salman, a move designed to head off any opposition to last week’s royal decree.

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Citing four current and former US officials working in Riyadh and Saudi sources close to the House of al-Saud, the NYT said it was unclear how long the restrictions on Prince bin Nayef’s freedom of movement were expected to last.

Speaking on Thursday, when questioned by Reuters on the report a Saudi official said,“It's not true, 100 percent,” without giving any further details.

During the reshuffle Saudi state media broadcast footage on loop of Prince bin Nayef pledging his allegiance to the new crown prince, eagerly emphasising the change over was going smoothly.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

In celebration of the appointment, King Salman ordered the reinstatement of all benefits and allowances for government employees that have been curbed by recent austerity measures, and announced additional public holiday days off for Eid.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s star has risen along with his elderly father’s, who became king in 2015.

The media savvy prince is widely seen as the face of modern Saudi Arabia, and his promotion was expected - if not quite this soon.

His alleged impulsiveness and hawkish stance on the war in Yemen and Riyadh’s regional rival Iran has alarmed some; considering his youthful age, upon the death of his 81-year-old father, Prince bin Salman is expected to sit on the throne and thus mould Saudi Arabia for decades.

58-year-old Prince bin Nayef – who headed domestic security for many years – is known for his tough stance on jihadi militancy and maintained good relations with the kingdom’s western allies. He has recently been seen less and less in the public eye as rumours swirled over behind-the-scenes power struggles near the top of the royal house.