Morocco king names son to senior defence post

King Mohammed VI on Morocco on Saturday appointed his son, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, to a senior coordinating post in the north African kingdom's military.

According to a statement from the royal court, the king -- himself chief of the military general staff -- had "graciously decided to appoint" the 22-year-old "coordinator of the offices and services of the general staff of the Royal Armed Forces".

The king, now 62, had himself held the key position at the heart of the top brass from 1985, after being appointed to it by his father, Hassan II.