Prince Hamzah bin Hussein
| Prince Hamzah bin Hussein | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Prince Hamzah in 2017 | |||||
| Born | 29 March 1980 Amman, Jordan | ||||
| Spouse | | ||||
| Issue | Princess Haya Princess Zein Princess Noor Princess Badiya Princess Nafisa Prince Hussein | ||||
| |||||
| House | Hashemite | ||||
| Father | Hussein of Jordan | ||||
| Mother | Noor Al-Hussein | ||||
| Jordanian royal family |
|---|
| Extended royal family |
Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, OSJ (Arabic: حمزة بن الحسين; born 29 March 1980)[1] is the fourth son of King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan overall and the first by his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor. He was named Crown Prince of Jordan in 1999, a position he held until his older half-brother, King Abdullah II, rescinded it in 2004. Queen Noor states in her autobiography that she and King Hussein named Hamzah after Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is a 41st-generation direct descendant of Muhammad. Prince Hamzah is currently believed to be under house arrest since April 2021.
Biography[]
Born on 29 March 1980, Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein claims ancestry with the Islamic Prophet Mohammad through the Hashemite family.
Prince Hamzah received his elementary education in Jordan and Amman, and then attended Harrow School in England. He then joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, passing out as a commissioned officer in the Jordan Arab Legion in December 1999, with a number of prizes including the Sandhurst Overseas Sword, granted to the best overseas cadet and the HRH Prince Saud Abdullah Prize, presented to the cadet with the best aggregate mark in academic subjects.
Serving then as an officer in the Jordan Arab Army's 40th Armored Brigade, Hamzah attended a number of military courses and attachments in Jordan, the UK, Poland, Germany and the US. Currently holding the rank of Brigadier in the Jordan Arab Army, he served with the Jordan-United Arab Emirates force operating in former Yugoslavia under the umbrella of international peacekeepers. In the year 2006, he graduated from Harvard University.
Hamzah was sworn in as Regent on numerous occasions and deputized for King Abdullah II on a number of missions in the Kingdom and abroad. He headed the Royal Advisory Committee on the Energy Sector. He is also the Honorary President of the Jordan Basketball Federation, and is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Automobile Museum,[2] the President of the Royal Aero sports Club of Jordan and the President of Al-Shajarah (Tree) Protection Society.[3]
Hamzah is a qualified rotor and fixed wing aircraft pilot, and participates in other sports such as Jujitsu and target-shooting.
Succession issue[]
On 7 February 1999, King Hussein died and his eldest son Prince Abdullah bin Hussein acceded to the throne of Jordan, having two weeks previously been designated to succeed his father as ruler in place of the king's brother, Crown Prince Hassan bin Talal. On the same day, in compliance with his father's wish, King Abdullah II decreed that he, in turn, would be succeeded not by a son of his own but by his half-brother, Hamzah, who was therefore accorded the title of crown prince.[4]
Nearly six years later, on 28 November 2004, King Abdullah removed Hamzah as crown prince.[5] In a letter from Abdullah to Hamzah, read on Jordanian state television, he said, "Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake."[5]
No successor to the title was named at the time, but some analysts believed it probable that Abdullah intended to name his own son, Prince Hussein, to succeed him at some point in the future.[5] Article 28(B) of Jordan's constitution provides that the king's eldest son automatically succeeds to the crown upon the monarch's death unless the king has designated one of his brothers to inherit the throne as crown prince,[6] but Abdullah II confirmed that his son Hussein would succeed him by designating him as crown prince on 2 July 2009.[4]
House arrest[]
On 3 April 2021, the BBC published a video of Hamzah in which he reported that he has been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on critics.[7] It was stated that the video had been passed to the BBC through Prince Hamzah's lawyer.[7] On 7 April 2021, King Abdullah II publicly hinted that his tension with Hamzah, who had pledged loyalty to him two days after his house arrest began,[8][9] was ending and that Hamzah was now "in his palace under my protection."[10][11] Abdullah also stated that the crisis which resulted in Hamzah's house arrest started when Jordan's military chief of staff visited Prince Hamzah and warned him to stop attending meetings with critics of the government.[10]
Marriages and family[]
Hamzah married his second cousin, Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, at in Amman on 29 August 2003.[citation needed] The official wedding was held on 27 May 2004. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor divorced on 9 September 2009. The couple had a daughter:
- Princess Haya bint Hamzah (born 18 April 2007)[citation needed]
On 12 January 2012, Hamzah married Basmah Bani Ahmad. The couple have four daughters and a son:
- Princess Zein bint Hamzah (born 3 November 2012)[12][13]
- Princess Noor bint Hamzah (born 5 July 2014)[14]
- Princess Badiya bint Hamzah (born 8 April 2016)[citation needed]
- Princess Nafisa bint Hamzah (born 7 February 2018)[citation needed]
- Prince Hussein bin Hamzah (born 8 November 2019)[15]
Honours[]
National[]
Jordan
Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance[16]
Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan[16]
Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence[citation needed]
Knight Officer of the Order of Military Merit[citation needed]
Foreign[]
Bahrain:
Recipient of the Medal of Ahmad Al-Fateh
Italy:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[17]
Norway:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav[citation needed]
Netherlands:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau[citation needed]
Award[]
United Nations: Recipient of the United Nations Peace Medal[citation needed]
References[]
- ^ "The Official Site of HRH Prince Hamzah bin al Hussein: Birth". Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Royal Automobile Museum". Archived from the original on 14 June 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ "Al-Shajarah". Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Jordan's King Abdullah names teenage son as heir". Haaretz. Associated Press. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Jordan crown prince loses title". BBC News. 29 November 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "Constitution: Article 28". The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Jordan's Prince Hamzah bin Hussein 'under house arrest'". BBC. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Jordan's Prince Hamza pledges allegiance to king after mediation, Reuters (5 April 2021).
- ^ Patrick Kingsley & Rana F. Sweis, Rift in Jordan’s Royal Leadership Is Soothed, Palace Says, The New York Times (5 April 2021).
- ^ a b "Jordan's King Abdullah says 'sedition' quashed". Al Jazeera. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "After alleged coup attempt, Jordan's King Abdullah signals end to royal feud". Washington Post. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "صور عقد قران الامير حم& صورة وخبر | وكالة عمون الاخبارية". Ammon news. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "Embassy of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan". Jordan Embassy. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "Prince Hamzah, Princess Basma blessed with a daughter". Jordan News Agency (Petra). Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Jordan News Agency (Petra)". www.petra.gov.jo.
- ^ a b Hamzah's Biography, © 1998, The Royal Hashemite Court
- ^ Italian Presidency Website, S.A.R. Principe Ereditario Hamzah bin Al Hussein
External links[]
Queen Noor (2003) Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, Miramax Books, ISBN 0-7868-6717-5
- 1980 births
- Living people
- Jordanian princes
- Harvard University alumni
- House of Hashim
- People educated at Harrow School
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Jordanian generals
- Crown Princes of Jordan
- Jordanian people of Syrian descent
- Jordanian people of Lebanese descent
- Jordanian people of English descent
- Jordanian people of Swedish descent
- Grand Cordons of the Order of Independence (Jordan)
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Sons of kings