Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

a Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani (born 1984) is a

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

i royal and the first wife and consort of

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ( ar, تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 3 June 1980, Doha, Qatar) is the Emir of Qatar who succeeded his father, Sheikh Hamad, after Hamad abdicated in his favour. Tamim is the fourth son ...

, the

Emir of Qatar The Emir, or Amir, of the State of Qatar ( ar, أمیر دولة قطر) is the monarch and head of state of the country. He is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and guarantor of the Constitution. He holds the most powerful positio ...

. A member of the Qatari royal family by birth, she is the daughter of former government minister Sheikh Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani and a grandniece of Emir

Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, خليفة بن حمد آل ثاني; 17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin ...

. She is a second cousin of her husband. As the first wife of the Emir, she accompanied him on an official state visit to Spain in 2022, where she was presented with the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Felipe.

Personal life

Sheikha Jawaher was born in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

in 1984 to Sheikh Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, a government minister and member of the Qatari royal family by his first wife, Sheikha Hessa bint Ahmad bin Saif Al Thani. Her paternal grandfather, Sheikh Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani, was the Qatari foreign minister. She is a grandniece of

, who ruled as the

. She married her second cousin,

, on 8 January 2005 at

Al Wajbah Al Wajbah ( ar, الوجبة) is a district in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan. It is 10 miles west of the capital Doha. The village was the site of the Battle of Al Wajbah, a conflict that took place between the Ottomans and ...

Palace. They have four children, two sons and two daughters: *Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 15 January 2006). *Sheikh Hamad bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 20 October 2008). *Sheikha Aisha bint Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 24 August 2010). *Sheikh Jassim bin Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (born 12 June 2012). She is the Emir's first of three wives; the other two are Sheikha Al-Anoud bint Mana Al Hajri and Sheikha Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari. In 2018, she called on Qataris to boycott

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

. In 2021, she received a Master of Arts degree from

Qatar University Qatar University ( ar, جامعة قطر; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) is a public research university located on the northern outskirts of Doha, Qatar. It is the only public university in the country. The university hosts ten colleges – Arts ...

. Her name, Jawaher (or Jawahir) means "Jewels".

Royal duties

Sheikha Jawaher's husband succeeded his father,

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, حمد بن خليفة الثاني; born 1 January 1952) is a member of the ruling Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 ...

, as

on 25 June 2013. As his first wife, she serves as his consort. In 2017, she served as royal patron of the graduating class of female students at her alma mater,

. In May 2022, she served again as royal patron at the 45th graduating class of female students at her the university. She honoured 479 of the 2,767 female students with awards for outstanding scholarship. In October 2021, Sheikha Jawaher met with

Queen Rania of Jordan Rania Al-Abdullah ( ar, رانيا العبد الله, ; born Rania Al-Yassin, 31 August 1970) is Queen of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II. Rania was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She received her bachelor's degree in busi ...

The Pearl-Qatar The Pearl Island ( ar, جزيرة اللؤلؤة, jazirat alluwlua) in Doha, Qatar, is an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometers. It is the first land in Qatar to be available for freehold ownership by foreign nationals. As of ...

and hosted a banquet in her honor. Sheikha Jawaher accompanied her husband on an official state visit to Spain in May 2022. The trip was her first official state visit as consort since her husband became Emir in 2013. She and her husband attended a banquet luncheon hosted in their honour at the

Palace of Zarzuela The Zarzuela Palace ( es, Palacio de la Zarzuela ) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain (King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Pal ...

King Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...

and

Queen Letizia of Spain Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (; born 15 September 1972) is the Queen of Spain as the wife of King Felipe VI. She came from a middle-class family and worked as a journalist for ''ABC'' and EFE before becoming a news anchor at CNN+ and Televisión E ...

. Later, they were guests of honor at a state dinner at the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

She was presented with the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Felipe VI. On 19 September 2022, Sheikha Jawaher accompanied her husband at the

state funeral of Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death wa ...

Foreign honours

* Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain; 17 May 2022).

References

{{Authority control Living people 1984 births House of Thani People from Doha Qatari Muslims Qatari royalty Qatar University alumni Royal consorts Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic