RIYADH, Aug. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah succeeded the throne of the oil-rich kingdom on Monday shortly after the late King Fahd passed away.

    "After the passing away of King Fahd, the royal family announced Crown Prince Abdullah as sovereign of the country... and Prince Sultan as Crown Prince," an official statement said. 

    Fahd, who had been in poor health, entered hospital on May 27 with acute pneumonia and passed away at around 6 a.m. local time(0300 GMT) on Monday.

    His funeral is expected to take place on Tuesday.  

    Abdullah, over 80, is half brother of Fahd and has been the de facto ruler of the world's largest oil producing country since Fahd was hit by a stroke which left him debilitated in 1995. 

    Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, the new heir apparent, is currently Saudi Defense Minister.  Enditem