(CNN) With the announcement Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef becomes next in line to the Saudi throne, and the King's own son Defense Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in line after him, Saudi Arabia's ruler King Salman has at a stroke modernized the face of the monarchy.

The question is: In preparing the monarchy for the future, has King Salman modernized the country?

Saudi is typical for the Gulf -- by far the majority of its population is under 30 years old.

But elsewhere in the region, younger leaders are increasingly the norm. Qatar is a point in case. The current Emir is just 35 years old, and his father was in his early 60s when he was ousted two years ago.

And yet in Saudi Arabia, since the country's founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, died in 1953, only his sons have been King -- passing the throne brother to brother, resulting an aging monarchy in an evermore youthful region.

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