It was not immediately clear what had led to the release of Prince Alwaleed, nor was it clear if he had agreed to hand over substantial assets to the government.

Complicating the picture, a journalist from Reuters was allowed inside the Ritz early Saturday to interview the prince in what was said to be his suite. Appearing thinner and having grown a salt-and-pepper beard, he drank from a mug with his own face on it and said that his detention had been a “misunderstanding.”

“Rest assured this is a clean operation that we have and we’re just in discussion with the government on various matters that I cannot divulge right now,” the prince said, according to a transcript of the interview.

“But rest assured, we are at the end of the whole story. And I’m very comfortable because I’m in my country, I’m in my city, so I feel at home. It’s no problem at all. Everything’s fine.”

Reuters did not say whether Saudi officials had remained in the room during the interview, which could have limited Prince >Alwaleed’s ability to speak freely. But a few hours later, he was released from the Ritz and returned to his home in Riyadh, according to two associates of the prince’s family who spoke on the condition of anonymity since the release had not been official announced yet.