Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ( ar, عبد الله بن حمد آل خليفة; born 30 June 1975) is the second son of the present

King of Bahrain The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hak ...

, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah and his first wife, Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa. Like all members of the royal family, Abdullah sits as a senior member of the civil

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. In addition to his government positions, Abdullah is chairman of the Bahrain Motor Federation and the

Commission Internationale de Karting The Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK or CIK-FIA) is the primary international sanctioning body for kart racing. It was founded in 1962, and is headquartered in Paris, France. In 2000, it joined with the FIA. Its most important event is the ...

. He is eighth in line to succeed his father as ruler of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Friendship with Michael Jackson

A long-time friend of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pop legend

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

, Abdullah loaned Jackson £2.2million to pay legal fees after the singer was tried for child molestation in

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 2005. After a successful defense and the dismissal of all charges, Abdullah invited Jackson, his children, and his personal staff to stay in Bahrain; Jackson took him up on the invitation on 30June 2005. As part of a plan to revive Jackson's career with the release of a new album, after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

Sheikh Abdullah suggested that Jackson record a song Abdullah had written as a charity single at a recording studio in London, "I Have This Dream". Jackson undertook the recording session in London, but the single was never released through the co-owned

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

2Seas Group. Jackson left Bahrain in May 2006 for

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. In November 2008, after trying to recover from Jackson £4.7million in costs that the singer had said were gifts, Abdullah sued the singer through the mutually agreed High Court in London. Abdullah claims that despite having paid the $2.2million (£1.5million) cost for Jackson to record a song intended to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the singer failed to show up at the studio for the final recording and the song was never released. Bankim ThankiQC, representing Abdullah, told the High Court that the day after Jackson's criminal trial ended in California, he recorded one of the songs that Abdullah had wanted released as a charity single to help victims of the

Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

, and that Abdullah felt "a strong sense of personal betrayal" after forming "a close personal relationship" with the singer.

Marriage and children

Abdullah is married to Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, who from 2002 to 2004 was a member of the

Supreme Council for Women The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) is Bahrain’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al ...

, and has been a permanent member of the Board since 2004. Since 2006, she has been the executive director of Injaz Bahrain, a Member of Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, and a member of the Young Arab Leaders of Bahrain. Together Abdullah and Hessa have four children, two sons and two daughters: * Isa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1999), He is ninth in the line of succession to the Bahraini throne. * Noora bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2002) * Salman bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2008), He is tenth in the line of succession to the Bahraini throne. *Hessa bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2010)

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalifa, Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al 1976 births Living people Bahraini politicians Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Sons of kings