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Sunbathers Banned on Riviera Beach for Royal Saudi Stay


A view of the public beach called "La Mirandole" located below a mansion owned by the Saudi royal family in Golfe Juan Vallauris, southern France, July 17, 2015.
A view of the public beach called "La Mirandole" located below a mansion owned by the Saudi royal family in Golfe Juan Vallauris, southern France, July 17, 2015.

The likely visit of Saudi Arabia's king to his family's Riviera mansion has stirred the ire of beachgoers who will be banned from a stretch of sand.

King Salman is expected to vacation soon at the mansion that sits above an isolated - but public - beach near Juan-les-Pins.

Despite protests, the region's state official, Philippe Castanet, said the beach would be temporarily closed if the king visits - which regional security chief Francois-Xavier Lauch said is nearly certain.

Lauch said by telephone Monday that boats would also be banned from plying the Mediterranean near the mansion.

Last week, angry beachgoers won a temporary halt to unauthorized work ahead of the royal visit, notably a cement slab on the sand for an elevator allowing direct beach access from the mansion.

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