A brand new e-book lifts the lid on Mohammed bin Salman’s jaw-dropping extra

And while MBS has claimed to have cracked down on the notorious corruption of his country's ruling elite, recouping billions from hundreds of businessmen and officials he detained en masse in a luxury Riyadh hotel, some wonder how else — if not through graft — he could have afforded his own jaw-dropping personal spending.

In the same year as his infamous Maldives party, Bin Salman started that spending with abandon, even as he was preaching fiscal austerity to fellow Saudis.

He bought a 439 ft superyacht called the Serene which Microsoft founder Bill Gates had previously rented for $5million (£3.8million) a week. It had everything from a conference room and underwater viewing chamber to a giant Jacuzzi and two helicopter pads. Bin Salman spent only half a day on board before deciding he had to have it — so much so that he paid its owner, a Russian vodka tycoon, 429million euros (£383million), about twice its original price.