Hussein bin Abdullah ( ar, الحسين بن عبدالله, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbdullāh''; born 28 June 1994) is
Crown Prince of Jordan
The Crown Prince of Jordan is the heir-apparent or heir-presumptive to the throne of Jordan.
The Article 28(B) of the Constitution of Jordan provides for agnatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest son of the King automatically succeeds to th ...
as the son of
King Abdullah II
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...
. As a member of the
Hashemite
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921 ...
dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, he is a
42nd-generation direct descendant of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
.
Hussein, currently a
Captain in the
Jordanian Armed Forces
The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَب ...
, started his education in Jordan and in 2016 he graduated from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
with a degree in International History. Since reaching the
age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...
in 2012, Hussein has functioned as
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
on several occasions and has accompanied his father on a number of local and international visits. Hussein is in charge of the Crown Prince Foundation, which is responsible for a technical university and a number of scientific and humanitarian initiatives. In 2015, at the age of 20, Hussein became the youngest person to chair a
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
session. After graduating from
Sandhurst in 2017, he made a global debut when he addressed the
UN General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Cur ...
in September of that year.
Early life and education
Hussein was born on 28 June 1994 at
King Hussein Medical Center in
Amman to the then-
Crown Prince Abdullah and
Crown Princess Rania.
[ Abdullah had met Rania, a marketing employee at ]Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
, in Amman at a dinner organized by Abdullah's sister Princess Aisha in January 1993; they married six months later. Hussein is the namesake of his grandfather, King Hussein
Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...
. Hussein claims descent in the male line from Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
's daughter Fatimah
Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, ...
and Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
, the fourth caliph. The Hashemites ruled Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
for over 700 years until its 1925 conquest by the House of Saud, and have ruled Jordan since 1921. The Hashemites are the oldest-ruling dynasty in the Muslim world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...
, and are the second-oldest-ruling dynasty in the world, after the Imperial House of Japan. His paternal grandmother is an English convert to Islam, and his mother is of Palestinian descent.
Hussein is the eldest child of Abdullah. He has three siblings: Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem. Hussein started his primary education at the International School of Choueifat and the International Amman Academy; he finished his high school at King's Academy
King's Academy (Arabic Translation: "كينغز أكاديمي") is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for students in grades 7 through 12 in Madaba-Manja, Jordan. It is named in honor of King Abdullah II of Jordan and seeks ...
in 2012, obtained a bachelor's degree in International History at Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in 2016, and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2017. He is a captain in the Jordanian Armed Forces
The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الأرْدُنِية, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَب ...
.
Heir apparent
Abdullah was not expected to succeed to the throne despite being King Hussein's eldest son; the King had appointed his younger brother, Abdullah's uncle, Prince Hassan
Prince Hassan bin Talal ( ar, الحسن بن طلال, born 20 March 1947) is a member of the Jordanian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before Hussein of Jordan, King Hussein's death ...
, as heir designate in 1965. Shortly before his death on 7 February 1999, the King replaced Hassan with Abdullah. When Abdullah became king, he named his younger half-brother, Prince Hamzah, as heir designate on his accession.
On 28 November 2004, King Abdullah removed Hamzah from his title as crown prince. Though the title of crown prince was left vacant, the Constitution of Jordan
The Constitution of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was adopted on 11 January 1952 and has been amended many times. It defines the hereditary monarchic rule with a parliamentary system of representation. It stipulates the separated powers of t ...
provides for agnatic primogeniture
Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
, meaning the monarch's eldest son is automatically first in the line of succession to the Jordanian throne
Line of succession to the Jordanian throne is the line of people who are eligible to succeed to the throne of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The succession is regulated by Article 28 of the Constitution of Jordan.
Succession rules
The thron ...
unless decreed otherwise. Hussein thus became heir apparent as soon as his half-uncle lost the status, and analysts widely expected the King to bestow the formal title on Hussein. The title was conferred on 2 July 2009, when a royal decree naming him as crown prince, effective immediately, was issued.
Official duties
Unlike the King's, the Crown Prince's role is mostly ceremonial under the Constitution, and the title is not associated with any political post. Hussein performed his first official engagement in June 2010, when he represented his father at the celebrations of the anniversary of the Arab Revolt
The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On ...
and the Armed Forces Day.
Hussein has served his father on both official and military missions, and has served several times as regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
during the King's absence from the country. Hussein is in charge of the Crown Prince Foundation, which is responsible for a technical university, and a number of scientific and humanitarian initiatives. The foundation established the Haqiq initiative, which aims to encourage youth for volunteerism; a NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
internship program; MASAR initiative to encourage space technology innovation; and the Hearing Without Borders initiative that funds cochlear implants for Jordanians with impaired hearing. The interns from the NASA program built a cubesat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
(mini satellite) named JY1, Jordan's first satellite which launched from California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
in 2018. The cubesat project was named after the late King Hussein's amateur radio callsign.
In 2013, Hussein participated in a training session with the members of the Jordanian special forces elite 71st Counter Terrorism Battalion. On 14 July 2014, Hussein visited the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman where injured Palestinians who fled Gaza were receiving medical treatment.
On 23 April 2015, the then-20-year-old Prince Hussein became the youngest person ever to chair a UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
session. During the meeting, the prince oversaw a debate about methods of preventing young people from joining extremist groups. Ban Ki-moon, the then-Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
, said Hussein is "not yet 21 years old, but he is already a leader in the 21st century". The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2250 titled "Maintenance of international peace and security"; the resolution was presented at the initiative of Jordan during the session Hussein presided over.
In May 2017, Hussein made the welcoming speech during a session of the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
that was held on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea. In September 2017, after having graduated from Sandhurst, he gave Jordan's speech at the UN General Assembly. Observers speculated the Crown Prince would start to play a more prominent role in Jordan and abroad.
Personal life
The Crown Prince's Instagram account has more than three million followers ; he posts pictures that showcase his hobbies, which include reading, playing football, cooking, motorcycling and playing the guitar. He also enjoys playing chess in his spare time.
On 27 September 2021, it was reported that Hussein had contracted COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
. The Royal Court said in a statement that Hussein had received the vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified. .
On 17 August 2022, the Royal Hashemite Court announced the engagement of Crown Prince Hussein to Saudi citizen Rajwa Al Saif. The engagement ceremony was held at the home of Al Saif's father in Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al Saif, born on 28 April 1994 in Riyad
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
, is the daughter of Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif and Azza bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Sudairi. She attended the Syracuse University School of Architecture.
Honours
;National honours
* Knight of the Order of the Star of Jordan
The Order of the Star of Jordan (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Urduni) or The Order of Hussein ibn Ali (Wisam al-Hussein ibn Ali) is an award and military decoration of the sovereign state of Jordan and is awarded for military or civil merit. It was founde ...
.
;Foreign honours
*: 1st class of the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance
The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance is the third highest civilian honour of Bahrain decoration named after King Hamad.
History
The award was founded by King Hamad II on 17 April 2008, to recognize services towards the development of the cou ...
(5 February 2019).
*: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2 March 2020).Kongehuset
/ref>
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...
(15 November 2022).
See also
* Hashemites
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921 ...
* Crown Prince of Jordan
The Crown Prince of Jordan is the heir-apparent or heir-presumptive to the throne of Jordan.
The Article 28(B) of the Constitution of Jordan provides for agnatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest son of the King automatically succeeds to th ...
* King Hussein
Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...
* List of current heirs apparent
This is the list of current heirs apparent to the thrones of the world as of .
List of heirs apparent
In federal monarchies Malaysia
United Arab Emirates
Current sovereign monarchs without an heir apparent
Current federal monarchs witho ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussein bin Abdullah
1994 births
Crown Princes of Jordan
House of Hashim
Jordanian people of Palestinian descent
Jordanian people of English descent
Jordanian princes
Jordanian Sunni Muslims
Jordanian royalty
Living people
People from Amman
Heirs apparent
Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni
Sons of kings
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst