Princess Firyal ( Firyal Irshaid ar, فريال إرشيد, born 1945) is a Jordanian humanitarian and philanthropist. She became a

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. UNESCO goodwill ambas ...

in 1992, working on programs for education and protection of world heritage. She is a board member at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), New York Public Library, and a wide range of museums and universities, including the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Irshaid is a graduate of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. From 1964 to 1978 she was married to

Prince Muhammad bin Talal 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. He was heir-presumptive to the throne fro ...

—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 ...

—by whom she has two sons, Prince Talal and Prince Ghazi.

Biography

Early life and education

Born in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Firyal Irshaid is the daughter of the late

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

Farid Mahmoud Irshaid, a political leader who served as a minister in the government and a parliamentarian in the Jordan Senate. Her mother Farida was chairwoman of the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank. Firyal's goddaughter, Thea Sherman, is the daughter of Alexandra Shiva. Irshaid attended Berzeit College. She studied for two years at the American College for Women in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

before her marriage; she resumed her studies and earned a bachelor's degree from

Columbia University School of General Studies The School of General Studies, Columbia University (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, New York City. GS is known primarily ...

in 1999.

Career

Irshaid was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992. Three years later, in 1995, she was appointed Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO. She works primarily on programs for protection of world heritage and education. In Jordan, Irshaid became active in relief work in

refugee camps A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peop ...

. She worked for the literacy programs with the nomadic Bedouin tribes. She also established the family planning program. Irshaid launched the International Hope Foundation under the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

umbrella in 1994 for the benefit of homeless and street children. Irshaid's philanthropic positions and credentials include: * Board of Directors of the

United Nations Association A United Nations Association (UNA) is a non-governmental organization that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of member states and the United Nations to raise public awareness of the UN and its work, to promot ...

in March, 2003. * Board of Trustees of the International Rescue Committee based in New York. * International Council at

* Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library * Trustee of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris * International Council of the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

Modern in London *

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

by the government of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

in May 2007 at the Jordanian Embassy as U.S. Ambassador *

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Board of Chairman Council of MOMA. *

Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: Locations Americas * The Solomon R. Guggenhei ...

Member of the Middle Eastern Circle

Personal life

Irshaid was married to Prince Muhammad bin Talal, with whom she had sons Prince Talal bin Muhammad and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, between 1964 and 1978. After their marriage ended in divorce, she dated Greek shipping magnate

Stavros Niarchos Stavros Spyrou Niarchos ( el, Σταύρος Σπύρου Νιάρχος, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both ...

and later became the longtime companion of American banker

Lionel Pincus Lionel I. Pincus (March 2, 1931 — October 10, 2009) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the private equity firm Warburg Pincus, running it from 1966 to 2002, and later became the chairman emeritus of the compa ...

. After Pinces's death there were allegations by his sons, Henry and

Matt Pincus Matthew Storrs Pincus is an American music publisher and investor who founded Songs Music Publishing. He was a former bassist of the band Judge. Early life and education Pincus is the son of Lionel Pincus, co-founder and chairman of private ...

, claiming Firyal had taken advantage of Pincus's deteriorating mental and physical state by spending extravagant sums.

Honours

* : ** Grand Cordon of the

Order of Independence Order of Independence or Independence Order ( vi, Huân chương Độc lập) is a Vietnamese decoration. Criteria The Vietnamese government states that the decoration "shall be conferred or posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthum ...

** Grand Cordon of the Order of the State Centennial (24 January 2022) * : 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 ...

(24 April 1965)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Irshaid, Firyal 1945 births Living people Birzeit University alumni Columbia University School of General Studies alumni Jordanian people of Palestinian descent Jordanian princesses Beirut College for Women alumni UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Grand Cordons of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Princesses by marriage