Morocco's king keeps regal distance even in earthquake crisis

Morocco's King Mohammed VI visits injured quake survivors at Mohammed VI University Hospital Center, following a powerful earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco September 12, 2023. Moroccan Royal Palace/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - When a devastating earthquake shook Morocco's High Atlas mountains on Sept. 8, residents of poor areas where it struck turned for help to the state and the man who leads it, King Mohammed VI.

Yet the monarch, with his sweeping power, has kept a low profile, making just three appearances since then. He chaired two emergency response meetings with officials in Rabat and visited a hospital in Marrakech, near the disaster zone, where he gave blood after a nationwide appeal for donors.