Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah ended a month-long stay at a New York hospital on Wednesday, but will remain in New York for physiotherapy according to the Saudi Press Agency. The monarch’s news agency was apparently responding to widespread speculation about Abdullah’s health and probable succession as it showed him leaving the Presbyterian Hospital on foot rather than in a wheelchair. He was reported to have had back surgery twice – once for a slipped disc and the second time because of a blood clot. The king is believed to be about 87 years old. Abdullah has become known as a reformer, triggering concern over whether his successor will have a similar progressive outlook.