On Sunday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco performed the Eid al-Adha prayer in Salé, near the capital, Rabat, according to official media, in his first public appearance since his recovery from Covid-19.
The official news agency said that the 58-year-old king performed the Eid al-Adha prayer at the Salé Palace, “accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, and His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid.”
She added that after the prayer, “His Majesty sacrificed the sacrifice of Eid.”
Recent months have witnessed a growing debate about the health of the 59-year-old king, which has been circulating for some time on social media, especially on YouTube channels run by Moroccans living abroad, who were known for their hostility to the monarchy and their disorganized opposition.
They are currently claiming that “a heated struggle is taking place within the royal family over who will inherit the throne of the kingdom after the absence of Mohammed VI.” Which contributed to spreading some confusion and annoyance among Moroccan public opinion.
An official clarification is not expected regarding such widespread rumors, but it was websites and newspapers whose affiliation is not hidden by the intelligence services, which took over the response to “the malicious allegations and rumors”, and came out to say that “the king is in good health”, even if he has not appeared for a while in the public scene. And he has not photographed any activity of his in the recent period.
According to the agency, this year, the king decided to perform prayer “in a private setting, with a very limited presence” due to “the continuation of the preventive measures adopted to confront the Covid-19 epidemic.”
In scenes broadcast on state television, the “Commander of the Faithful” appeared at the end of the prayer, wearing a yellow galabiya, with a smile on his face, although he seemed to have lost some weight since he contracted Covid-19.
The king appeared at his side, especially his eldest son, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, 19, and his younger brother, Prince Moulay Rachid, 52.
On June 16, Professor El Hassan Belemni, the new personal physician of the Moroccan monarch, announced that King Mohammed VI had contracted Covid-19, but that his infection was “asymptomatic”.
The doctor explained that he had prescribed “His Majesty a period of rest for a few days.”
However, during his convalescence, the king continued to send protocol telegrams and written declarations.
According to the weekly newspaper, Jeune Afrique, the Moroccan monarch contracted Covid-19 in France during a private visit he started to this country on June 1.
Since the beginning of the Corona pandemic in the Kingdom in March 2020, the Moroccan monarch has made one trip abroad, during which he went to Gabon, in December 2021.
The king’s health is of great interest in Morocco.
The Moroccan monarch underwent a successful heart surgery at the Royal Palace Clinic in Rabat in June 2020, after a similar operation in Paris in February 2018.
Mohammed VI has assumed the throne since the death of his father, King Hassan II, in July 1999.