Saudi monarch's brother returns to Riyadh after absence

Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, younger brother of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has returned to the kingdom following an absence of several months, according to recent media reports.

While no official announcement has been made by the Saudi authorities, the New York Times quoted three Saudi sources -- all close to Prince Ahmed -- who appeared to confirm the rumor.

London-based news website the Middle East Eye, meanwhile, quoted another source close to Ahmed as saying that the prince had in fact returned to Saudi Arabia so that he might "play a role in any new arrangement within the Saudi Royal Court".

According to the unnamed source, Prince Ahmed, 76, only returned to Saudi Arabia "after obtaining security guarantees from the U.S. and Britain" in regards to his personal safety.

Prince Ahmed, for his part, has yet to officially confirm his return to Riyadh or provide reasons for his abrupt departure from Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

In a video reportedly shot last month, Prince Ahmed can be seen with demonstrators in London condemning Saudi Arabia's destructive three-year-old war in Yemen.

In 2012, Prince Ahmed served as Saudi interior minister for a five-month period.