From now on, the Saudi King will have no absolute power to select his successor. Rather, a special council of the monarch will select three crown princes and the king will have to choose one from them, British newspaper Telegraph reported. The report said Saudi Arabia has significantly reduced the powers of its absolute monarchy by quietly removing the King’s authority to choose his own successor. This landmark constitutional reform, enacted by royal order last October but only disclosed this week, fundamentally changes the way the desert kingdom — which controls 25 per cent of the world’s oil — is governed. Until now, the king alone has selected his successor, known as the crown prince, from among the sons and grandsons of King Abdul-Aziz, the founding leader of Saudi Arabia, better known as Ibn Saud. In the future, a committee consisting of senior members of the royal family, called the Bay’ah Council, will vote for the crown prince from three candidates named by the king. The council is empowered to reject the king’s choice and can even impose a crown prince against the monarch’s will. It can also declare the king or crown prince incapable of ruling.