Monthly Archives: August 2014

King Tupou VI of Tonga

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Kingdom of Tonga: Tonga consists of 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, in the south Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 miles/1,800 kilometers northeast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Tonga has long been a monarchy and by the 12th century, Tonga and its Paramount Chiefs had a strong reputation throughout the central Pacific Ocean. Tonga became a kingdom in 1845 and has been ruled by the House of Tupou. From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had a protected state status with the United Kingdom which looked after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship.

The order of succession to the throne of Tonga was established in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture – a female can succeed if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants.

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King Tupou VI of Tonga; Credit – Wikipedia

King Tupou VI of Tonga was born on July 12, 1959, at the Royal Palace in Nuku’aolfa, Tonga. He is the youngest son of King Tupou IV and Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, and the younger brother of the late King George Tupou V. His given name at birth was ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho. In keeping with Tongan tradition, he was later given three chiefly titles – Lavaka, ‘Ulukalala and Ata – which would typically replace his given name. He was known by any combination of these titles until he became Crown Prince. At that point, he retained the Lavaka title but passed the other two to his sons. (To avoid confusion, he will be referred to as Lavaka).

Following his early schooling in Tonga, Lavaka attended The Leys School in Cambridge, England, graduating in 1977, and earned a degree in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in 1980. A military career followed. Lavaka joined the Tongan Navy and served until 1998. During this time, he attended the US Naval War College, graduating in 1988, and earned his Master’s Degree in Defense Studies from the University of New South Wales (Australia) in 1997. After leaving the military, he attended Bond University in Australia, earning another Master’s Degree in International Relations in 1999.

Lavaka was also involved in the Tongan government, serving as Defense Minister and Foreign Minister for several years. In 2000, he was appointed Prime Minister, a position he would hold until 2006. In September 2006, his father King Tupou IV died and his elder brother took the throne as King George Tupou V. The new King was not married and had no legitimate children, so Lavaka was the heir-presumptive. Days later, he was formally granted the title of Crown Prince (Tupoutoʻa).

Queen Nanasipauʻu; Credit – Wikipedia

Lavaka married Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, his second cousin, at the Chapel Royal, at the Royal Palace, in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on December 11, 1982. The couple has three children:

In 2008, Lavaka was appointed Tonga’s first High Commissioner to Australia and took up residence in Canberra. He would remain in this position until March 18, 2012. On that day, his elder brother King George Tupou V passed away and Lavaka ascended the Tongan throne as King Tupou VI.

King Tupou VI after his coronation ceremony; Credit – Wikipedia

King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u were crowned in a ceremony conducted at Centenary Church in Nuku’alofa. Tonga on July 4, 2015. The celebrations included many international guests, and an estimated 15,000 people lined the roads.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Michael Farquhar: Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, and Madness from Romanov Russia

by Michael Farquhar
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Winter Palace

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia was the official residence of the Romanov tsars; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer, August 2011

Author Michael Farquhar is sharing with Unofficial Royalty some tidbits from his book Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, and Madness from Romanov Russia, published by Random House.

Did you know that…

  • Peter the Great had a passion for learning new trades—from shipbuilding to dentistry. He even became adept as an executioner, personally hacking off the heads of his recalcitrant subjects.
  • Once, during an anatomy lesson in Amsterdam, Peter the Great became so annoyed by his companions’ squeamishness that he ordered each of them to take a bite out of the human cadaver being dissected.
  • Peter the Great had no tolerance for dissent—even from his own son, whom he ordered tortured to death.
  • Catherine I, Russia’s first empress in her own right, was born and raised a peasant.
  • Empress Elizabeth was so vain that she never wore the same dress twice. Upon her death in 1762, an astonishing 15,000 gowns were reportedly found in her wardrobe.
  • No one was ever allowed to look prettier than Elizabeth. If a woman of the court happened to make that mistake, the empress was known to take a pair of scissors to the unfortunate’s hair and butcher the offending style.
  • Catherine the Great loved horses. She also loved sex. Contrary to popular legend, however, she never managed to unite the two passions. Still, the lusty empress brought all the enthusiasm of a vigorous ride to her extremely busy boudoir—filling it with a succession of eager young studs half her age.
  • Catherine the Great always sent away her lovers with lavish parting gifts of jewels, palaces, and cold hard cash. In 1776, for example, Peter Zavadovsky was given fifty thousand rubles and four thousand serfs for his services—prompting the French charge d’affaires to write to his brother, “You must agree, my friend, that it’s not a bad line of work to be in here.”
  • Emperor Paul was so unbalanced that upon the death of his mother, Catherine the Great, he decided to reunite her with the husband she hated—digging up the long-dead Tsar Peter III to lay in state by her side.
  • Tsar Nicholas I once toyed mercilessly with Dostoyevsky’s mind. Before writing Crime and Punishment and other classics, the acclaimed novelist was sentenced to death for subversion. Just as he was about to stand before the firing squad, however, Nicholas sent a reprieve—allowing the poor man to suffer until the very last moment.
  • Alexander II was subjected to no fewer than seven attempts on his life, including a massive bomb detonated in his own palace. “Am I such a wild beast that they should hound me to death?” he once exclaimed in despair. Another bomb, hurled directly at the tsar, finally did the job.
  • Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian mystic who advised and guided Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra to ruin, long had intimations of his own violent demise, which were often accompanied by warnings to the Imperial family that if anything happened to him they would share his fate. “When I perish they will perish,” he once predicted—accurately, as it turned out.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Queen Sirikit of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Sirikit

Queen Sirikit of Thailand; Credit – Wikipedia

Sirikit Kitiyakara was born on August 12, 1932, in Bangkok, Siam, now called Thailand. She is the third of four children of Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara and Bua Snidvongs. Queen Sirikit’s paternal grandfather Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana was the twelfth son of King Chulalongkorn.  The Queen shares a descent from King Chulalongkorn with her husband King Bhumibol and they are first cousins once removed. Queen Sirikit has two older brothers and one younger sister: Galyanakit Kitiyakara (1929 – 1987), Adulyakit Kitiyakara (1930 – 2004), and Busba Kitiyakara (born 1934).

Sirikit_engagement

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit (back row in the middle) and her family in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 19, 1949, when their engagement took place; Credit – thailand.prd.go.th

Queen Sirikit began her primary education at the Rajini School in Bangkok, Thailand. She then attended St. Francis Xavier Convent School in the Samsen District of Bangkok. Her father became the Thai Ambassador to France and Denmark and finally the Ambassador to the Court of St. James in the United Kingdom. Queen Sirikit accompanied her father and was educated in all three countries.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand succeeded to the throne on June 9, 1946, upon the death of his older brother King Ananda Mahidol from a gunshot wound under circumstances that have never been fully explained. At the time, the 18-year-old Bhumibol Adulyadej was attending the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. He returned to the university after his brother died and continued his studies.

During his university days, King Bhumibol Adulyadej frequently visited Paris and it was there that he met his future wife Sirikit Kitiyakara, the daughter of the Thai ambassador to France. Both Sirikit and King Bhumibol Adulyadej were studying at the Thai embassy and a relationship developed. In October 1948, King Bhumibol Adulyadej had a serious car accident on a road near Lausanne, Switzerland, and lost his right eye and wore a prosthetic for the rest of his life. Sirikit visited him frequently during his hospital stay and decided to attend school in Lausanne so she could get to know the king better.

The couple became engaged on July 19, 1949, and married at Srapathum Palace in Bangkok, Thailand on April 28, 1950, just a week before the king’s coronation. After the coronation on May 5, 1950, the 22-year-old king and the 17-year-old queen returned to their studies in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sirikit_wedding

Queen Sirikit and King Bhumibol on their wedding day; Credit – thailand.prd.go.th

The couple had three daughters and one son:

In 1956, as is customary for Thai Buddhist males, King Bhumibol temporarily became a Buddhist monk and Queen Sirikit served as Regent. Because of the excellent way she served as Regent, King Bhumibol gave her the style “Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Borommarachininat” which would translate to Queen Regent.

Queen Sirikit was well known for her charitable work. She was President of the Thai Red Cross Society and was active in relief work for the many refugees from Cambodia and Burma in Thailand. The Queen took an active role in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in southern Thailand in December 2004. Tragically, the tsunami took the life of her grandson Bhumi Jensen, the son of her eldest daughter.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health declined in his later years. The king resided at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok for several years. On July 21, 2012, Queen Sirikit felt unsteady and staggered while exercising at Siriraj Hospital where King Bhumibol Adulyadej resided. Doctors determined that she had suffered a stroke. The Queen was not seen in public until August 2013 when the King was discharged from the hospital. Since then, Queen Sirikit has refrained from making public appearances.  King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on October 13, 2016, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, at the age of 88, following several years of illness.

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand was born December 5, 1927, at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States. He was the youngest of three children of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej and his commoner wife Princess Srinagarindra.  At the time of King Bhumibol’s birth, his father was studying medicine at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

King Bhumibol had two siblings:

  • Princess Galyani Vadhana (1923 – 2008), married (1) Colonel Aram Rattanakul Serireongrit, had one daughter, divorced  (2) Prince Varananda Dhavaj, no children
  • King Ananda Mahidol (1925 – 1946), unmarried, King Bhumibol’s predecessor on the throne
Bhumibol_siblings

King Bhumibol on his mother’s lap with his brother and sister; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1928, King Bhumibol’s family returned to Thailand after his father received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. On September 24, 1929, King Bhumibol’s father Prince Mahidol Adulyadej died of kidney failure at the age of 37. Prince Mahidol Adulyadej did much to improve medicine and public health in Thailand and is considered the father of modern medicine and public health in Thailand.

King Bhumibol began his education at Mater Dei School in Bangkok, Thailand. In 1933, King Bhumibol, his mother, and his siblings moved to Switzerland where he attended Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande in Lausanne Switzerland. In 1934, King Prajadhipok, King Bhumibol’s uncle, abdicated and as he had no children, King Bhumibol’s 9-year-old brother Ananda Mahidol became king. The family remained in Switzerland and regents were appointed to take over the duties of the young king. King Bhumibol completed his secondary education at the Gymnase Classique Cantonal of Lausanne and received a baccalauréat des lettres (high-school diploma with a major in French literature, Latin, and Greek. King Bhumibol began studying at the University of Lausanne but returned to Thailand in 1945 when World War II ended.

In his childhood, King Bhumibol began two hobbies that would become lifelong passions. At the age of seven, he received his first camera and wherever he went, his camera went also.  Some of his many photographs are displayed at the King Bhumibol Photographic Museum. In 1942 at the age of 15, King Bhumibol became a jazz enthusiast and started to play the saxophone. He was an accomplished jazz saxophone player and composer, playing Dixieland and New Orleans jazz. The King also played the clarinet, trumpet, guitar, and piano.

 

On June 9, 1946, King Bhumibol became king at the age of 18. King Bhumibol’s brother King Ananda Mahidol was found shot dead in his bedroom in the Boromphiman Throne Hall at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, four days before he was scheduled to return to Switzerland to finish his doctoral degree in law at the University of Lausanne. The circumstances of King Ananda Mahidol’s death have never been fully explained. At the end of the mourning period, King Bhumibol returned to Switzerland to complete his university studies.

During his university days, King Bhumibol frequently visited Paris and it was there that he met his future wife Sirikit Kitiyakara, the daughter of the Thai ambassador to France. In October of 1948, King Bhumibol Adulyadej had a serious car accident on a road near Lausanne, Switzerland, and lost his right eye and wore a prosthetic for the rest of his life.  Sirikit visited him frequently during his hospital stay and decided to attend school in Lausanne so she could get to know the king better. The couple became engaged on July 19, 1949, and married at Srapathum Palace in Bangkok, Thailand on April 28, 1950, just a week before the king’s coronation. After the coronation on May 5, 1950, the 22-year-old king and the 17-year-old queen returned to their studies in Lausanne, Switzerland. The couple had three daughters and one son:

Bhumbol_and_Sirikit

King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

King Bhumibol’s coronation was held on May 5, 1950, at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. On Coronation Day, King Bhumibol’s consort was made Queen of Thailand.  On June 9, 2006, King Bhumibol celebrated his 60th anniversary as the King of Thailand, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.

Bhumibol_coronation

The Coronation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej; Credit – www.phuketgazette.net

King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health declined in his later years. The King resided at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok for several years.  He left the hospital in August 2013 but returned intermittently until 2015 when he returned to the hospital permanently.

 

On December 5, 2012, King Bhumibol’s 85th birthday, he made an appearance on the palace balcony. Hundreds of thousands of Thais waving flags crowded around Bangkok’s Royal Plaza to witness a rare public appearance by their revered and ailing king. Queen Sirikit did not attend. She has not made public appearances since suffering a stroke in July 2012.

 

King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on October 13, 2016, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, at the age of 88, following several years of illness.  At the time of his death, he was the world’s longest-reigning current monarch, having reigned for 70 years and 126 days.  The King’s son, Maha Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed King of Thailand following a period of personal mourning.   Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, did not want to be immediately named king to give the nation time to mourn his father’s death.

The King’s remains lay in state from October 16, 2016, until the cremation ceremony on October 26, 2017.  While the King’s remains lay in state, foreign dignitaries paid their respects.  The public square Sanam Luang was used as the cremation ground and on February 27, 2017, the construction of an elaborate, temporary crematorium began. The cremation took place on October 26, 2017, thirteen days after the first anniversary of the King’s death. On October 29, 2017, the royal ashes were enshrined at the Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit.

The Royal Crematorium; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

King Mwsati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Mswati

King Mswati III of Eswatini; Credit – Wikipedia

Note: In 2018, Swaziland was renamed Eswatini.

King Mswati III of Eswatini (born Prince Makhosetive Dlamini) was born on April 19, 1968, at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini in the African country of Swaziland, called Eswatini since 2018.  His parents are King Sobhuza II of Swaziland and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala.  King Mswati is one of many sons fathered by King Sobhuza II, but the only child of Ntfombi Tfwala. King Sobhuza II married 70 wives, who gave him 210 children between 1920 and 1970. About 180 children survived infancy. At his death, he had more than 1,000 grandchildren.

King Mswati attended primary school at the Masundwini Royal Residence and then attended the Lozitha Palace School. From 1983 to 1986, Mswati attended Sherborne International College in Dorset, England.

In 1982, King Sobhuza II died at the age of 83, having reigned for 82 years. A Swazi king cannot appoint his successor, nor is there a line of succession. A traditional council called the Liqoqo decides which of the wives shall be “Great Wife” and “Indlovukati” (She-Elephant / Queen Mother) after the death of a king. The “Great Wife” must be of good character and cannot be one of the first two wives (known as ritual wives) chosen for the king by the national councilors. The son of this “Great Wife” will automatically become the next king. 14-year-old Mswati was selected to be the next king. From 1982-1986, two wives of the late King Sobhuza II, Queen Dzeliwe Shongwe (1982–1983) and Mswati’s mother, Queen Ntfombi Tfwala, (1983–1986) served as regents.

Mswati_coronation

King Mswati’s coronation; Credit – news.bbc.co.uk

On April 25, 1986, 18-year-old King Mswati III was crowned. The king and his mother, whose title is Indlovukati (“Great She-Elephant”), rule jointly.

Mswati_mother

Queen Ntfombi, Great She-Elephant; Credit – www.microdinero.com

A Swazi king’s first two wives are chosen for him by the national councilors. These two wives have special functions in rituals, and their sons can never become kings. The first wife must be a member of the Matsebula clan, and the second must come from the Motsa clan. The king then chooses his other wives, often at a festival called the Reed Dance.  A royal fiancée is called liphovela, or “bride”. They graduate from being fiancées to full wives as soon as they become pregnant, when the king customarily marries them. In traditional Swazi culture, the king is expected to marry a woman from every clan to cement relationships with each part of Swaziland. This means that the king must have many wives. A listing of King Mswati’s wives and children can be seen here.

Eswatini and King Mswati are not without controversy. The country had the highest AIDs rate in the world, with 26.5% of the population HIV positive. 63% of Swazis live below the poverty line, surviving on less than US$1.25 per day. The king, who rules as an absolute monarch and appoints the prime minister and cabinet, enjoys many lavish parties and lives in luxury. His birthday is celebrated in front of thousands in a stadium where expensive gifts are presented to him on behalf of his people. Quite a few of his wives have complained of abuse and have left him. The mother of one of his wives said her daughter was kidnapped to become the king’s wife.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

KIng Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on August 1, 1924, in Riyadh, then in the Sultanate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  His father was the first King of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz,  also known as Ibn Saud. His mother was Sheikha Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim. King Abdullah had two younger full sisters: Nuf bint Abdulaziz and Seeta bint Abdulaziz (1930-2011) and many half-siblings.

King Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. Abdulaziz was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons.

King Abdullah received a formal religious education at the royal court. From his father, he developed a deep respect for religion, history, and Arab heritage. He spent years living in the desert with Bedouin tribes and learned their values of honor, simplicity, generosity, and bravery. It is thought that his mother’s descent from the powerful Shammar tribe and a speech impediment led to a delay in having equal status with the other sons of King Abdulaziz.

In 1962, Abdullah was chosen by King Faisal to command the Saudi National Guard. Upon the succession of King Khalid in 1975, he was appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister. When King Fahd came to the throne in 1982, he was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. As First Deputy Prime Minister, Crown Prince Abdullah presided over cabinet meetings and governed the country as deputy to King Fahd.

Abdullah_commander

Prince Abdullah as Commander of the Saudi National Guard; Credit – Wikipedia

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was proclaimed the sixth King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 1, 2005, upon the death of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. The Kings since King Abdulaziz’s death have all been his sons: Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd, Abdullah, and Salman.  Saudi Arabia does not have a clearly defined succession, but the sons of King Abdulaziz were considered to have a primary claim on the throne.  In 2006, King Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council composed of the sons and grandsons of King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes.

King Abdullah had more than 11 wives and had more than 36 children. For more information about his family see Wikipedia: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia – Personal Life.

Throughout his life, King Abdullah had a love of the desert and a love of horsemanship. He was a breeder of pure Arabian horses and the founder of the equestrian club in Riyadh. Another lifelong passion was reading which he considered very important. He established two libraries, the King Abdulaziz Library in Riyadh, and one in Casablanca, Morocco.

Abdullah in a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014; Credit – Wikipedia

King Abdullah died on January 23, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the age of 90, three weeks after being hospitalized for pneumonia. He was buried at the Al-Oud Cemetery in Riyadh. Although the sons of King Abdulaziz were aging and some members of the Saudi royal family thought it was time for the next generation to come to the throne, Abdullah was succeeded by his 79-year-old half-brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar; Credit – Wikipedia

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, The Emir of Qatar was born on June 3, 1980, in Doha, Qatar, the fourth son of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. His mother is Sheikh Hamad’s second wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned.

He was educated at the Sherborne School in Dorset, England, receiving his A-levels in 1997. He then enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 1998. Upon his return to Qatar, he was commissioned in the Qatar Armed Forces. In 2003, he was named Crown Prince of Qatar after his elder brother renounced his position.

As Crown Prince, Sheikh Tamim was instrumental in raising the international profile of Qatar, putting much of his focus into various sporting events. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee, as well as the chairman of the Qatar National Olympic Committee. He was a large part of the successful bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to Qatar in 2022.

On June 25, 2013, his father announced his abdication and the accession of Sheikh Tamim as the new Emir of Qatar.

Sheikh Tamim with his first wife, Sheikha Jawahir photo: The Times

Sheikh Tamim with his first wife, Sheikha Jawaher;  photo: The Times

Sheikh Tamim has three wives:

First wife (and second cousin) Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim, had two sons and two daughters:

  • Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2006)
  • Sheikh Hamad bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2008)
  • Sheikha Aisha bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2010)
  • Sheikh Jassim bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2012)

Second wife, Sheikha AlAnoud bint Mana Al Hajri, had three daughters and two sons:

  • Sheikha Naylah bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2010).
  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2012)
  • Sheikha Roda bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2014)
  • Sheikh Alqaqaa bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2015)
  • Sheikha Moza bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2018)

Third wife, Sheikha Noora Bint Hathal Aldosari, had three sons and one daughter:

  • Sheikh Joaan bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2015)
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2017)
  • Sheikh Fahad bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2018)
  • Sheikha Hind bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 2020)

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Wikipedia

Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman – photo: Wikipedia

Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman was born on November 18, 1940, in Salalah, Oman, the only son of Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, and his second wife, Princess Mazoon bint Ahmed Ali al-Maashani.

Qaboos was initially educated in Oman, and from 1958-1960, attended a private boarding school in the United Kingdom. In 1960, he enrolled in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating two years later. He joined the British Army, serving with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) for a year in Germany. Following his military service, he returned to the United Kingdom for a year, studying local government systems and taking several courses in management. Following a world tour, he returned to Oman in 1964.

In 1970, Qaboos staged a coup that overthrew his father as Sultan. His father was exiled to the United Kingdom, where he lived at the Dorchester Hotel in London until he died in 1972. Sultan Qaboos immediately began efforts to modernize and develop the country, even changing the name to The Sultanate of Oman.

In March 1976, he married his first cousin Nawwal bint Tariq Al-Said, daughter of his uncle Tariq Al-Said. The couple had no children, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1979.

The Sultan with The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, 2010. photo: Zimbio

The Sultan with Queen Elizabeth II  and Duke of Edinburgh on a state visit to Oman, 2010; Photo – Zimbio

Qaboos loved classical music and established his own symphony orchestra in the mid-1980s. This orchestra performs locally in Oman and often accompanied the Sultan when he traveled abroad. The Sultan’s other interests included horses, the arts, and shooting.

Qaboos had been under treatment for colon cancer since at least 2014 and had spent much time in Germany undergoing treatment. In December 2019, he traveled to Belgium for medical treatment.

Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman died at the Al Alam Palace in Muscat, Oman on January 10, 2020, at the age of 79.  “With great sorrow and deep sadness… the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday,” said a statement from the royal court.  The funeral of the late Qaboos bin Said Al Said was held on January 11, 2020, the day after his death, at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, the capital of Oman, and he was buried at the Royal Cemetery in Muscat.

Qaboos was succeeded by his first cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said who was named Sultan of Oman after a sealed letter from Qaboos was opened identifying whom he wished to take his place.

Embed from Getty Images 
Qaboos’ successor, the newly sworn-in Sultan Haitham, on the right, carries his coffin during the burial

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco; Credit – Wikipedia

Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn

Salma Bennani was born on May 10, 1978, in Fez, Morocco. She is one of two daughters of Al-Haj Abdel Hamid Bennani, a school teacher, and his wife Naima Bensouda. Salma’s mother died when she was three years old and thereafter she was raised by her maternal grandmother.

Salma Bennani was educated in private and public schools in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. There she attended Lycée Hassan II, Lycée Moulay Youssef, and l’École Nationale Supérieure d’Informatique et d’Analyse de Systèmes (National School of Computer Science and Systems Analysis), where she received a degree in computer science and was her class valedictorian. Salma is fluent in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish. After graduation, she worked in Casablanca, Morocco as an information services engineer at Omnium North Africa Group, the country’s largest private holding company.

In 1999, Salma met her future husband, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, at a private party. Reportedly, Salma set some ground rules, one of which was insisting on a monogamous marriage as a condition for accepting the King’s proposal. King Mohammed’s father had two wives as had many rulers of Morocco before him. Traditionally, wives of Kings of Morocco remained private figures, so the King surprised many in Morocco when he announced his future wife’s name.

On March 21, 2002, Salma Bennani married King Mohammed VI of Morocco at the Royal Palace in Rabat. She was granted the style Her Royal Highness and the title Princess Lalla.

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Wedding of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Princess Lalla Salma; Credit – main.stylelist.com

The couple has two children:

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Although her predecessors were private figures, Princess Lalla Salma became a public Islamic consort in the style of Queen Noor, the wife of King Hussein of Jordan, and Queen Rania, the wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan. One of her major achievements was the founding in 2005 of the Lalla Salma Foundation – Prevention and Treatment of Cancers to raise public awareness of cancer. With this organization, Princess Lalla Salma organized the first national cancer registry and worked with many international partners in the fight against cancer. Princess Lalla Salma is also involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa and she received the Sharjah Voluntary Work Award, one of the most important awards in the Arab world.

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Princess Lalla Salma at a pediatric cancer center in Casablanca, Morocco; Credit – http://www.spyghana.com

Princess Lalla Salma represented Morocco at events around the world. She attended the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, not The Prince and Princess of Wales, in London in April 2011, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands’ investiture in April 2013, and the wedding of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in October 2013.

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Princess Lalla Salma with other royals at the investiture of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2013

Princess Lalla Salma has been noticeably absent from public appearances since the beginning of 2018. A March 2018 article in the Spanish magazine Hola! mentioned that King Mohammed and Princess Lalla Salma had divorced according to sources close to the palace, however, there has been no formal announcement from the royal court. Princess Lalla Salma stopped carrying out public official engagements in 2018. She did a few engagements in a private capacity but her last private engagement was in 2021.

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King Mohammed VI of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King Mohammad VI of Morocco; Credit – Wikipedia

Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn

King Mohammed VI of Morocco was born on August 21, 1963, in Rabat, the capital of the African country of Morocco.  His parents were King Hassan II of Morocco and Princess Lalla Latifa Amahzoune.

King Mohammed has four siblings:

King Mohammed began his education at the age of four when he was enrolled in the Koranic School at the Dâr-al-Makhzen in Rabat. He then attended the Collège Royal, a school located inside the Royal Palace in Rabat founded in 1942 that specializes in the education of princes and princesses of the Alaouite dynasty.  The King completed his primary and secondary education at the Collège Royal in 1981. He then attended the Mohammed V University at Agdal and received a Bachelor’s Degree in law in 1985. In 1987, King Mohammed received a Certificate of Higher Specialized Studies in political sciences. He received an additional Certificate of Higher Specialized Studies in public law in 1988. The King received a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in law with distinction in 1993 from the Nice Sophia Antipolis University in Nice, France. The topic of his thesis was “Cooperation between the European Economic Community and the Arab Maghreb Union”. King Mohammed is fluent in Arabic, French, Spanish, and English.

On July 23, 1999, King Hassan II died and Mohammed became king. The ceremony of presenting allegiance to His Majesty King Mohammed took place on the same day in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace in Rabat. The enthronement ceremony took place on July 30, 1999. King Mohammed VI solemnly performed the Islamic Friday prayer and gave his first speech from the throne at the Royal Palace in Rabat.

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King Mohammed VI of Morocco delivers his enthronement speech

King Mohammed VI is the president of several charitable organizations including the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity whose motto is “Ready to help the needy.”

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King Mohammed VI distributes food; Photo Credit – http://riadzany.blogspot.com

On March 21, 2002, Mohammed married computer engineer Salma Bennani (now HRH Princess Lalla Salma) at the Royal Palace in Rabat.  Princess Lalla Salma has been noticeably absent from public appearances since the beginning of 2018. A March 2018 article in the Spanish magazine Hola! mentioned that King Mohammed and Princess Lalla Salma had divorced according to sources close to the palace, but there has been no such announcement from the royal court.

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Photo Credit – main.stylelist.com

The couple has two children:

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King Mohammed VI of Morocco and his son Crown Prince Hassan at the international ceremony for the Centenary of the World War I Armistice of November 11, 1918

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.