Saudi Arabia's King Salman has cut short his holiday to the French Riviera after the closure of a private beach outside his villa sparked public outrage.
The Saudi King and members of his 1,000-person entourage left France for Morocco on Sunday after some of their more lavish holiday requirements proved unpopular with the locals.
The closure of an ordinarily public beach outside his exclusive villa ahead of his visit prompted some 150,000 residents to sign a petition against the "privatisation" of the shoreline.
French authorities had authorised the closure on privacy and security grounds.
Concrete poured onto the picturesque seafront as part of the King’s installation of an elevator from the beach to the villa caused further upset.
King Salman arrived at the property in Vallauris, which lies between Cannes and Antibes, just over a week ago, and had been schedule to stay for three weeks.
A Saudi source insisted his early departure had nothing to do with the media coverage that his visit attracted.
The source said the King’s holiday had been coordinated with French authorities and strictly followed French protocol for high-profile visitors.
Local French government official Philippe Castanet said about half of the King’s entourage had left with him.
He added that the elevator would be removed in the coming weeks.
Despite the controversy, many local businesses, including hotels, restaurants and luxury shops along the Mediterranean coast, had welcomed the royal visit.
Serge Reinhard, director of the four-star Hotel Montaigne in Cannes, where half of the rooms have been booked by Saudis, said: "The economic impact for us, but also restaurants, chauffeurs and all those who worked at his villa, is real."
