Official Jordanian media said on Sunday that the Jordanian military court would next week begin the trials of a former royal court chief and a member of the royal family, on charges of inciting opposition to the regime.

The prosecution last week referred to the court the case of Bassem Awadallah, former royal court chief and minister of finance, who played a key role in the campaign to implement economic liberalization, and Sharif Hassan Zaid, a relative of the king.

The two were arrested in early April when the former crown prince, Hamza, was placed under house arrest on charges that he had allied with foreign officials and plotted to undermine the stability of Jordan, a U.S. ally in the Middle East.

However, the proceedings against Prince Hamza were later canceled when he swore allegiance to King Abdullah.

Two prominent politicians familiar with the case told Reuters news agency, after asking not to be identified, that it was revealed during investigations that Awadallah is one of the closest economic advisers to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

They added that Amman refused Riyadh's request to extradite him, without giving further details.

What happened revealed the first serious rift in the Hashemite family that has ruled for years.