Category Archives: Jordanian Royals

Queen Dina of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Queen Dina of Jordan – photo: Wikipedia

Queen Dina of Jordan was the first of four wives of King Hussein I of Jordan. She was born Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid, the daughter of Abdu’l-Hamid bin Muhammad Abdu’l-Aziz and Fakhria Brav, on December 15, 1929, in Cairo, Egypt. Through her father’s family, she was a member of the House of Hashemite and a third cousin to her future father-in-law King Talal of Jordan.

Dina attended boarding school in England before earning her degree in English literature from Girton College, Cambridge University. She then earned a postgraduate diploma in social science from Bedford College in London. Following her schooling, Dina returned to Egypt where she taught English literature and philosophy at the University of Cairo.

 

In 1952, while still at Girton College, Dina met her future husband King Hussein of Jordan at the home of a mutual relative in London. Hussein, six years younger than Dina, was a student at the Harrow School in England. That same year, he became King upon his father’s abdication. Two years later, Hussein’s mother Queen Zein announced the couple’s engagement. They married on April 18, 1955, and Dina was given the title Queen of Jordan. However, the marriage was full of discord from the beginning. Hussein intended that his wife would have no political role or input, while the well-educated Dina found this very stifling. There was also much tension between Dina and her mother-in-law. Queen Zein had promoted the wedding but then found that she resented Dina taking her position as the senior female in the kingdom. A daughter was born in 1956, but the marriage was beyond saving:

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one son, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two sons

Later that year, Hussein informed Dina that he was divorcing her. When the divorce became final on June 24, 1957, Dina lost her title of Queen and was styled HRH Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan.

Dina later returned to Egypt, and in 1970, and married Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir, a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1983, a year after al-Qadir was imprisoned by the Israelis, Dina negotiated his release, along with 8,000 other prisoners.

Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan died in Amman, Jordan on August 21, 2019, at the age of 89. Her funeral was held at the Royal Guard Mosque and she was buried at the Royal Cemetery, near Raghadan Palace within the Royal Compound (Al-Marquar) in Amman, Jordan.

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.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Sarvath in 2015 receiving an honorary doctorate ; By University of Bath – https://www.flickr.com/photos/uniofbath/19116052028/sizes/o/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48394484

Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan is the wife of Prince Hassan of Jordan, the younger brother of King Hussein I of Jordan. She was born Sarvath Ikramullah on July 24, 1947, in Calcutta, India, the daughter of Mohammed Ikramullah and Shaista Suhrawardy.

Sarvath’s father served in the Indian Civil Service and following the partition of India, he became Pakistan’s first Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He also served as Ambassador to Canada, France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Her mother was one of Pakistan’s first female members of Parliament, Ambassador to Morocco, and served several times as a delegate to the United Nations.  The family moved around quite often. Sarvath received most of her education in the United Kingdom and graduated from The University of Cambridge.

Sarvath married Prince El Hassan on August 28, 1968. The couple first met ten years earlier when they were just eleven years old. They had four children:

Sarvath and her husband served as Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Jordan for 34 years, until 1999 when King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah to succeed him just days before his death. During this time, Princess Sarvath worked with many organizations and initiatives within Jordan, with much of her focus on education and social welfare. The couple continues to represent Jordan at royal events around the world.

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.

Prince Hassan of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince Hassan of Jordan; Photo: Wikipedia

Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan was born on March 20, 1947, in Amman, Jordan. He is the third of the four sons and the fourth of the six children of King Talal and Queen Zein.  He had five siblings:

He attended the Summer Fields School and the Harrow School before attending Christ Church, Oxford University, earning his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Oriental Studies.

In 1965, King Hussein named his brother Hassan Crown Prince, and he often served as Regent. He remained Crown Prince until just days before King Hussein died in 1999 when the King named his eldest son Abdullah as Crown Prince.

In 1968, Hassan married Sarvath Ikramullah. The couple had four children:

Prince Hassan is involved with a large number of organizations and charities both within Jordan and around the world. A list of many of them can be found here. He has also written several books and articles and received numerous awards and honorary degrees. In June 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the United Nations Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation.

Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath often represent the Jordanian royal family at royal events around the world, such as the 2013 inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

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.

Hamzah bin Al Hussein, formerly Prince Hamzah of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © 2014

Hamzah bin Al Hussein; Credit – Abd Alrahman Wreikat  https://www.flickr.com/photos/abdelrahmanaldojan/33033564273/in/dateposted-public/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57723345

Born Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan on March 29, 1980, in Amman, Jordan, Hamzah is the eldest son of King Hussein of Jordan and his fourth wife, Queen Noor (the former Lisa Halaby). On April 3, 2022, Hamzah renounced his title of Prince of Jordan.

Hamzah has three younger siblings:

  • Prince Hashim (born 1981), married Fahdah Mohammed Abunayyan, had five children
  • Princess Iman (born 1983), married Zaid Azmi Mirza, had one son, divorced
  • Princess Raiyah (born 1986), married Ned Donovan

Hamzah has seven half-siblings from her father’s other three marriages.

From his father’s first marriage to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid (Queen Dina):

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one child, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

From his father’s second marriage to Antoinette Avril Gardiner (Princess Muna):

  • King Abdullah II (born 1962), married Rania al Yassin, had four children
  • Prince Feisal (born 1963), married (1) Alia Tabbaa, had four children, divorced (2) Sara Bassam Qabbani, no children, divorced (3) Zeina Lubbadeh, had two children
  • Princess Aisha (born 1968), married (1) Zeid Saadedine Juma, had two children, divorced  (2) Ashraf Banayoti, divorced
  • Princess Zein (born 1968), married Majdi Farid Al-Saleh, had three children

From his father’s third marriage to Alia Baha ad-Din Toukan (Queen Alia):

Hamzah at his Passing Out Parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1999

Hamzah began his education in Jordan and attended the Harrow School in London, England. He then enrolled in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and served with the Jordanian Armed Forces where he held the rank of Colonel. He later graduated, in 2006, from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Upon their father’s death in 1999, Hamzah was named Crown Prince by his elder half-brother, the new King Abdullah II, in accordance with their father’s wishes. He would later serve occasionally as Regent for King Abdullah and often represented him at events both within Jordan and abroad. However, on November 28, 2004, King Abdullah removed the title of Crown Prince. In a public letter, he said that … “Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake.”  A few years later, the King named his son, Hussein, as Crown Prince of Jordan.

In April 2021, Hamzah was accused of trying to mobilize tribal leaders against the government.  He was placed under house arrest and was ordered to stop actions that could be used to target the country’s “security and stability”. In a video released by Hamzah’s lawyer, Hamzah accused the country’s leaders of corruption, harassment, and incompetence. The video and the text of the statement can be seen at BBC: Prince Hamzah bin Hussein of Jordan’s ‘house arrest’ message in full.  Ahmad Hasan al Zoubi, a prominent newspaper columnist, said, “What Prince Hamzah said is repeatedly heard in the homes of every Jordanian.” On April 7, 2021, King Abdullah II said Hamzah’s house arrest was ending and that Hamzah was now “in his palace under my protection.” In March 2022, the Royal Court published an apology purportedly signed by Hamzah and asking his half-brother King Abdullah II for forgiveness.

On April 3, 2022, Hamzah renounced his title of Prince of Jordan. In a statement posted to Twitter, Hamzah said:

“Following what I have witnessed in recent years, I have come to the conclusion that my personal convictions which my father instilled in me, and which I tried hard in my life to adhere to, are not in line with the approaches, trends and modern methods of our institutions. From the matter of honesty to God and conscience, I see nothing but to transcend and abandon the title of prince. I had the great honour of serving my beloved country and my dear people over the years of my life. I will remain as I have always been and as long as I live, loyal to our beloved Jordan.”

Hamzah and his first wife Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef

Hamzah has been married twice. He first married his second cousin, Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, on August 29, 2003 (with the official wedding on May 27, 2004). They had one daughter before divorcing in September 2009.

  • Princess Haya bint Hamzah (born 2007)

Hamzah and his second wife Basmah Bani Ahmad in 2011

Hamzah married Basmah Bani Ahmad on January 12, 2012. The couple has four daughters and two sons:

  • Princess Zein bint Hamzah (born 2012)
  • Princess Noor bint Hamzah (born 2014)
  • Princess Badiya bint Hamzah (born 2016)
  • Princess Nafisa bint Hamzah (born 2018)
  • Prince Hussein bin Hamzah (born 2019)
  • Prince Mohammad bin Hamzah (born 2022)

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.

Prince Ali of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Ali of Jordan

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan was born on December 23, 1975. He is the son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his third wife, Queen Alia (the former Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan).

Prince Ali has an older sister and an older adopted sister:

  • Princess Haya (born 1974), married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, had one son and one daughter, divorced
  • Abir Muhaisen (born 1972, adopted in 1976), Abir had been orphaned when her mother was killed in a plane crash at a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan

Ali has a number of half-siblings from her father’s other three marriages.

From his father’s first marriage to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid (Queen Dina):

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one child, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

From his father’s second marriage to Antoinette Avril Gardiner (Princess Muna):

  • King Abdullah II (born 1962), married Rania al Yassin, had four children
  • Prince Feisal (born 1963), married (1) Alia Tabbaa, had four children, divorced (2) Sara Bassam Qabbani, no children, divorced (3) Zeina Lubbadeh, had two children
  • Princess Aisha (born 1968), married (1) Zeid Saadedine Juma, had two children, divorced  (2) Ashraf Banayoti, divorced
  • Princess Zein (born 1968), married Majdi Farid Al-Saleh, had three children

From his father’s fourth marriage to Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Queen Noor):

Prince Ali began his education at the American Community School in Amman, Jordan, before attending the Salisbury School in Connecticut, graduating in 1993. He then enrolled in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, earning his commission in December 1994. He served in the Jordanian Special Forces and later attended Princeton University in New Jersey, graduating in 1999.

From 1999 until 2008, Prince Ali served as Commander of King Abdullah’s Special Security in The Royal Guards. In 2008, he established the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management and serves as director of the organization.

In addition, he serves as Chairman of the Royal Film Commission, President of the Jordan Football Association, and is Founder and President of the West Asian Football Federation. Since 2011, Prince Ali has also served as Vice President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Prince Ali was married on April 23, 2004, to Rym Brahimi, a former CNN journalist. The wedding was publicly celebrated on September 7, 2004. The couple has two children:

  • Princess Jalila bint Ali (born 2005)
  • Prince Abdullah bin Ali (born 2007)

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 Haya of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

Princess Haya of Jordan

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein of Jordan was born on May 3, 1974. She is the daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife, Queen Alia (the former Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan). Just a few months before her third birthday, her mother died in a helicopter crash. Haya and her siblings were raised by her father and his fourth wife, Queen Noor, who were married in 1978.

Haya has a younger brother and an older adopted sister:

  • Prince Ali (born 1975), married Rym Brahimi, a former CNN journalist, had two children
  • Abir Muhaisen (born 1972, adopted in 1976), Abir had been orphaned when her mother was killed in a plane crash at a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan

 

Haya has a number of half-siblings from her father’s other three marriages.

From her father’s first marriage to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid (Queen Dina):

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one son, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

From her father’s second marriage to Antoinette Avril Gardiner (Princess Muna):

From her father’s fourth marriage to Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Queen Noor):

Princess Haya was educated in England, attending the Badminton School and the Bryanston School, before enrolling at St Hilda’s College, Oxford University. She graduated with an Honors Degree BA MA, in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).

 

A skilled equestrian, Princess Haya was the first female to represent Jordan internationally in show jumping. She won individual bronze at the 1992 Pan Arab Games (becoming the first female ever to have won a Pan-Arab medal in equestrian sports). She was named Equestrian Personality of the Year in 1996, by the Spanish Equestrian Federation. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Olympic Games and was also flag-bearer for the Jordanian athletes. In 2002, she became the first Arab woman to qualify and compete in the equestrian world championship when she competed in the FEI World Equestrian Games. During this time, in order to be able to transport her horses herself, she became the first Jordanian woman to obtain a license to drive heavy trucks. She was also the first Jordanian athlete to turn pro, signing a commercial contract with an Italian designer in May 2000.

In 2003, Princess Haya founded and became Chairperson of Tkiyet Um Ali – the first food aid NGO in the Arab World, in honor of her mother, Queen Alia. She also served as World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador from 2005-2007, the first Arab, and the first woman, to serve in this role.

Since 2006, she has served as President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), serving two terms. In August 2014, she announced that she will not seek a third term.

2007 saw the Princess take on several new roles. She was appointed Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City (IHC) and became a member of the International Olympic Committee. In September 2007, she was named a UN Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. And the following month, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan chose her to become a founding member of the Global Humanitarian Forum.

Princess Haya also serves as Global Patron for the World Academy of Sport, President of the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council, Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority, President of the Princess Haya Biotechnology Center at Jordan University of Science and Technology, and Honorary President of the Queen Alia Foundation for Hearing & Speech. In addition, she works closely with the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

 

Princess Haya became the junior wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, on April 10, 2004. The couple had two children:

  • Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 2007)
  • Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 2012)

Sheikh Mohammed divorced Princess Haya under Sharia Law in February 2019 but he did not inform Haya. In the early summer of 2019, Princess Haya took her two children and fled to London where she sought political asylum. Haya now lives in London and as an envoy of the Embassy of Jordan, she is able to remain in the United Kingdom and was granted diplomatic immunity and protection under the Geneva Convention. In March 2020, the High Court in London ruled that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inflicted “exorbitant” domestic abuse on his wife and granted Princess Haya sole custody of their children. In 2021, Haya was granted full custody of her children by a British court.  In March 2022, the British High Court declared that Haya had been a victim of “domestic abuse”, and she was announced as the sole person in charge of the children’s schooling and medical care.

Embed from Getty Images
Princess Haya with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and their two children at Royal Ascot in June 2018

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.

Prince Feisal of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan was born on October 11, 1963, in Amman, Jordan. He is the second son of King Hussein of Jordan and Princess Muna al-Hussein (the former Antoinette Gardiner).

Prince Feisal has one elder brother and two younger twin sisters:

Feisal has a number of half-siblings from his father’s other three marriages.

From his father’s first marriage to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid (Queen Dina):

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one child, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

From his father’s third marriage to Alia Baha ad-Din Toukan (Queen Alia):

From his father’s fourth marriage to Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Queen Noor):

Prince Feisal attended school for a year in England (St Edmund’s School) before continuing his education in the United States. There he attended the Bement School and the Eaglebrook School, both in Deerfield, Massachusetts, before completing high school at St Alban’s School in Washington, DC. He graduated from Brown University in 1985 with a BSc in Electrical Engineering.

Prince Feisal had trained with the Royal Jordanian Air Force before graduating college. After graduating, he received his officer training and Basic Flying Training with the British Royal Air Force at Cranwell. He then moved to RAF Valley where he received his RAF wings in 1987. He returned to Jordan and the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

Prince Feisal; Credit – Wikipedia

In addition to his military duties, Feisal has been President of the Jordan Olympic Committee since 2003, Founder and Chairman of Generations for Peace since 2007, and a Member of the International Olympic Committee since 2010.

Prince Feisal has been married three times. His first wife was Alia Tabbaa, daughter of Sayyid Tawfik al-Tabbah, founder and president of Royal Jordanian Airlines. They married on August 9, 1987, and had four children before divorcing in April 2008.

Prince Feisal was then married to Sarah Bassam Kabbani from May 2010 until their divorce in September 2013. Their marriage was childless. He then married his third wife Zeina Lubbadeh, a Jordanian radio presenter and daughter of businessman Dr. Fares Lubbadeh, on January 4, 2014. Feisal and Zeina have two sons:

  • Prince Abdullah bin Feisal (born 2016)
  • Prince Muhammad bin Feisal (born 2017)

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 Rania of Jordan

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: Wikipedia

Queen Rania of Jordan; Credit – Wikipedia

Rania al-Yassin was born on August 31, 1970, in Kuwait, to Faisal Sedki Al-Yassin and his wife Ilham. Following her primary and secondary education at the New English School in Jabriya, Kuwait, Rania attended The American University in Cairo, Egypt, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She then attended The School of Business Studies, in Geneva Switzerland, earning a post-graduate diploma in Sales Management. She worked for a while at Citibank, before taking a job with Apple, Inc. in Jordan.

photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor

Rania and Abdullah on their wedding day; Photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor

In January 1993, Rania met Prince Abdullah of Jordan, the eldest son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his second wife Princess Muna, at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. Quickly smitten, he proposed just two months later and the couple was married on June 10, 1993. At the time, neither likely suspected they would become King and Queen of Jordan.

They had four children:

Just days before King Hussein’s death in February 1999, Prince Abdullah was named his heir and Crown Prince. The following month, King Abdullah II issued a proclamation elevating Rania to the title of Queen. Since then, Queen Rania has used her position to bring attention to important issues domestically and around the world. She is very involved with the promotion of education and community empowerment, through various initiatives that she has started such as the Queen Rania Academy for teachers, several scholarship funds, and a program called ‘My School’, aimed at refurbishing 500 public schools over several years. This program continues to be very dear to Queen Rania’s heart.

Internationally, Queen Rania has been very involved with UNICEF, The Global Campaign for Education, and is one of the founders of 1GOAL. Through the World Economic Forum, she has also launched the Jordan Education Initiative.

Queen Rania has also written several children’s books, with the proceeds all going to charity. These include The Sandwich Swap, which was a New York Times bestseller.

Queen Rania with her family; Photo Credit – Royal Hashemite Court Archives

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.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Abdullah II of Jordan

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo credit: AP Photo/Yousef Allan, Jordanian Royal Palace

photo credit: AP Photo/Yousef Allan, Jordanian Royal Palace

King Abdullah II of Jordan

King Abdullah II of Jordan was born January 30, 1962, in Amman, Jordan, the eldest son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his second wife Antoinette Gardiner (Princess Muna).

Abdullah has three younger siblings:

  • Prince Feisal (born 1963), married (1) Alia Tabbaa, had four children, divorced (2) Sara Bassam Qabbani, no children, divorced (3) Zeina Lubbadeh, had two children
  • Princess Aisha (born 1968), married (1) Zeid Saadedine Juma, had two children, divorced  (2) Ashraf Banayoti, divorced
  • Princess Zein (born 1968), married Majdi Farid Al-Saleh, had three children

Abdullah has a number of half-siblings from his father’s other three marriages.

From his father’s first marriage to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid (Queen Dina):

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one child, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

From his father’s third marriage to Alia Baha ad-Din Toukan (Queen Alia):

From his father’s fourth marriage to Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Queen Noor):

At the time of his birth, Abdullah was Crown Prince and heir-apparent to the Jordanian throne. However, in 1965, due to the political unrest in the region, King Hussein instead named his own brother, Prince Hassan, as Crown Prince. The succession laws in Jordan follow agnatic primogeniture, but King Hussein had the constitution changed to allow the reigning King to override the usual line of succession and appoint someone else in the royal family as his heir.

Abdullah began his education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman, before attending St Edmund’s School, in Hindhead, Surrey, and the Deerfield Academy, in Massachusetts. He then enrolled in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1981. He served in the British Army in the 13th/18th Royal Hussars Regiment as a reconnaissance troop leader. He returned to Jordan in 1985 and began serving in the Jordanian Armed Forces. By 1993, he had become Commander of the Jordanian Special Forces, and by 1998, had risen to the rank of Major General.

In January 1993, Prince Abdullah met Rania al-Yassin at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. Quickly smitten, he proposed just two months later and the couple was married on June 10, 1993. At the time, neither one likely suspected that they would one day become King and Queen of Jordan.

They have four children:

On February 7, 1999, Abdullah became King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, upon the death of his father, King Hussein. Just two weeks earlier, King Hussein had stripped his brother, Prince Hassan, of the title of Crown Prince, and named Abdullah as his successor. A formal accession ceremony took place in June of the same year. In accordance with King Hussein’s wishes, Abdullah named his younger half-brother, Prince Hamzah (eldest son of King Hussein and Queen Noor) as his heir and Crown Prince. However, in 2004 he stripped Hamzah of the title. Without naming a successor, the normal line of succession applied, making Abdullah’s eldest son, Prince Hussein, heir to the throne. Finally, in 2009, King Abdullah formally named Prince Hussein as Crown Prince of Jordan.

The King Abdullah II has continued his father’s legacy, working toward peace in the region and making “the welfare of the Jordanian people the cornerstones of his policies for national development, regional peace, and global existence.” (source: kingabdullah.jo)

In his free time, the King enjoys various sporting activities, sharing his father’s passion for motorcycles. He is also a huge science fiction fan, and in 1996, he appeared in a non-speaking role in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. See Unofficial Royalty: Beam Me Up…Abdullah?  In addition, he was the driving force and primary investor behind a large Star Trek theme park built as part of a huge resort complex – The Red Sea Astrarium – in Aqaba, Jordan.

Embed from Getty Images 

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.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan; Credit – Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan was born at the  King Hussein Medical Center in Amman, Jordan on June 28, 1994, the eldest child of the then Prince Abdullah bin Hussein and Rania al Yassin. His father was the eldest son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his second wife, Princess Muna al-Hussein (born Antoinette Gardiner).

At the time, Prince Abdullah, despite being the eldest son, was not the heir-apparent. The succession laws in Jordan follow agnatic primogeniture (eldest son), but also allow for the reigning King to appoint whomever he wishes as his heir and Crown Prince. King Hussein had named his younger brother, Prince Hassan, as Crown Prince in 1965. This would remain until just days before King Hussein’s death.

On January 24, 1999, just two weeks before his death, King Hussein appointed his son Abdullah as Crown Prince, with the wish that Abdullah would name his younger half-brother Prince Hamzah as his heir. When the King died on February 7, 1999, Abdullah became King and respected his father’s wishes, appointing Hamzah Crown Prince.

However, in 2004, Abdullah stripped Hamzah of the Crown Prince title. As he did not name a replacement, this made the young Prince Hussein his father’s heir-apparent under the existing succession laws. On July 2, 2009, the King issued a decree formally granting Prince Hussein the title of Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Hussein has three younger siblings:

Embed from Getty Images 

Hussein completed his secondary education at King’s Academy in Madaba-Manja, Jordan in 2012.  In 2016, the Crown Prince graduated from Georgetown University in Washington DC with a degree in international history. He holds the rank of Captain in the Jordanian Armed Forces.  In August 2017, Crown Prince Hussein graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, a family tradition.

September 2015: Crown Prince Hussein attends a meeting with his father King Hussein and the American Secretary of State John Kerry; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The Crown Prince often attends state and military functions with his father and takes an active interest in the welfare of the Jordanian people. His first official event was Armed Forces Day in 2010 when he represented his father. He has also served as Regent several times when his father is out of the country. On April 23, 2015, the then-20-year-old Crown Prince Hussein became the youngest person ever to chair a United Nations Security Council session.

Rajwa Al Saif and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan; Credit – Queen Rania of Jordan Facebook page

On August 17, 2022, the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan announced the engagement of Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 28, 1994, Rajwa is the youngest of the four children of Khalid Al Saif, the CEO of the Al Saif Group, and his wife Azza Al Sudairi. The couple was married on June 1, 2023, at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan. About thirty minutes after the wedding ceremony, the Royal Hashemite Court issued a decree elevating Rajwa to a Princess of Jordan with the style and title Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa Al Hussein. The title Crown Princess is not typically used in Jordan.

Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa have one daughter who is not eligible to be ruler of Jordan. The constitution of Jordan states that only legitimate, male, mentally sound, Muslim, male-line descendants of King Abdullah I are eligible to be King.

  • Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan (born August 3, 2024)

YouTube:  Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II recites the call to prayer in the ear of his newborn daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Al Hussein

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.