Prince Muhammad bin Talal (2 October 1940 – 29 April 2021) was a member of the Jordanian royal family. He was the second son of King Talal of Jordan and the younger brother of

King Hussein of Jordan 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 of ...

. He was heir-presumptive to the throne from his elder brother's accession in 1952, until the birth of his nephew (

Abdullah Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

) in 1962.

Education

Prince Muhammad completed his primary schooling at the Islamic Scientific College in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

and then attended the

Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, known more informally as Beau Soleil, is a private boarding school in Switzerland. Founded in 1910, it is located above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon. The college provides a full board ...

in Switzerland. He then went to Bryanston School, Dorset, in the United Kingdom where he finished his secondary education. Between 1956 and 1957 he attended the Military Academy in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

. In 1960 he earned his private pilot's license.

Career

Upon his return to Jordan in 1958, Prince Muhammad joined the Jordan Arab Army and served in the first Royal Guard Regiment before becoming Aide de Camp to

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 of ...

. Prince Muhammad was made

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

of Jordan in 1952 when his elder brother Crown Prince Hussein became king. He held the post until 1962. In 1971, he was appointed head of the council of tribal chiefs by King Hussein. In 1973, a royal decree invested him as the personal representative of King Hussein. He then headed the supreme committee for tourism in Jordan. He also served as regent and as head of the regency council on numerous occasions in the absence of the King. He held the honorary rank of full general 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 الْعَرَبي ...

as well as many high decorations from Jordan and other countries.

Personal life and death

Prince Muhammad was born in Amman on 2 October 1940. He first married

Firyal Irshaid Firyal Irshaid ( ar, فريال إرشيد, born 1945) is a Jordanian humanitarian and philanthropist. She became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992, working on programs for education and protection of world heritage. She is a board member at t ...

in 1964. They had two sons: Prince Talal (born 26 July 1965) and Prince Ghazi (born 15 October 1966). Their marriage ended in divorce. In 1981 he married his second wife Taghrid Majali, daughter of

Hazza' al-Majali Hazza' Barakat al-Majali (1917 – 29 August 1960) ( ar, هزاع بركات المجالي) was a Jordanian politician that served as the two-time 11th Prime Minister of Jordan. His first term lasted one week in 1955, his second term lasted ...

a two time

Prime Minister of Jordan The prime minister of Jordan is the head of government of the Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The prime minister is appointed by the List of kings of Jordan, king of Jordan, who is then free to form his own Cabinet of Jordan, Cabinet. Th ...

who was assassinated in 1959 while in office. Prince Muhammad died on 29 April 2021 in Amman at the age of 80.

Honours

National honours

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of al-Hussein bin Ali The Order of al-Hussein bin Ali is the highest order of the Kingdom of Jordan. It was founded on 22 June 1949 with one class (i.e. Collar) by King Abdullah I of Jordan with the scope of rewarding benevolence and foreign Heads of State. The class ...

with Collar of Jordan *Grand Cordon of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...

(special class) of Jordan *Grand Cordon of the

Order of Independence (Jordan) The Order of Independence (''Wisam al-Istiqial'') is the fourth knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History It was instituted in 1921 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. Grades The Order of Independence is divided in five classe ...

*Grand Cordon 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 ...

*Long Service Medal *Good Conduct Medal *King Hussein Silver Jubilee Medal-1977 *1967–1971 Service Medal-1971 *Honorary President of the

Royal Jordanian Chess Federation Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

*Honorary President of the

Jordanian Shooting Federation Jordanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Jordan, a country in the Near East * Jordanian culture * Jordanian people, see Demographics of Jordan * Jordanian cuisine * Jordanian Arabic * Royal Jordanian, an airline See also * L ...

*Honorary President of the British Federation of Kyokushinkai Karate holding a first Dan and honorary fifth Dan in that martial art.

Foreign honours

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

– 27 April 1998 * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Queen of Sheba The Order of the Queen of Sheba was originally instituted as a ladies' order in 1922 in the Ethiopian Empire by Empress Zawditu and would later become the diplomatic symbol of a holy pact. Classes The Order of the Queen of Sheba is presented in ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of National Merit Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. T ...

– 26 November 1983 * : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

– 1978 * : Honorary Grand Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace o ...

– 24 April 1965 * : Grand Cordon of the

Order of Muhammad The Order of Muhammad, also referred to as Order of Sovereignty ( ar, وسام المحمدي, Wissam al-Mohammadi, French: ''Ordre de la Souveraineté'' or ''Ordre de Mohammed''), is the highest state decoration of the Kingdom of Morocco. The O ...

– 1950 * : Grand Cordon of the

Order of Abdulaziz al Saud Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

* : Grand Cordon of the

Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...

* : Honorary

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(GCVO) – 27 March 1984

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Bin Talal 1940 births 2021 deaths House of Hashim Jordanian Muslims Jordanian princes Crown Princes of Jordan People from Amman Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Jordanian generals Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Cordons of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Sons of kings 20th-century Jordanian people