United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan appointed his eldest son, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and appointed his brothers to top roles.

Mr Mohamed had been grooming his son for positions of authority in security, intelligence, economy, and governance.

He named his brother Sheikh Mansour UAE vice-president, alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Mohammed also appointed his brothers, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan as deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi. Mr Tahnoun is the UAE’s national security adviser and controls a sprawling business empire.

According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, Mr Tahnoun is the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which has assets worth $790 billion.

Cinzia Bianco, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said naming a second vice president for the first time indicates an attempt by Abu Dhabi to centralize power “in an inclusive way.”

“The overall aim of all of these appointments is to centralise without disrupting the unity and the fragmentation within the different royal families of the UAE too much,” she said.

“The UAE president wanted to give prominent positions in Abu Dhabi to members of his family because having a leading position in Abu Dhabi is having a leading position over the entire country,” Ms Bianco added.

Abu Dhabi has retained the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation in 1971 by Mr Mohamed’s father.