Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, also known as Prince Moulay Rachid ben al-Hassan, ( ar, الأمير مولاي رشيد بن الحسن; born ) is a member of the Alawi dynasty. He was the youngest male child of the late King Hassan II and his wife,

Lalla Latifa Hammou Princess Lalla Latifa Amahzoune (; ar, لالة لطيفة أمحزون – born in 1941 a member of the Zayane tribe ( khouribga, Morocco), She is the widow of King Hassan II and the mother of Princess Lalla Meryem, King Mohammed VI, Prin ...

. He holds a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in international politics and serves Morocco as a diplomat, including attending the

state funeral of Queen 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 ...

. He is currently second in the line of succession to the Moroccan throne.

Early life and education

Prince Moulay Rachid is the second son and fifth child of King Hassan II and his wife,

. Prince Moulay Rachid has one older brother,

King Mohammed VI Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Moh ...

, and three sisters,

Princess Lalla Meryem Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco ( ar, الأميرة للا مريم, born 26 August 1962 in Rome, Italy) is the first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and his wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou. After she obtained her ...

, Princess Lalla Asma and Princess Lalla Hasna. After primary and secondary studies at the

Royal College A royal college in some Commonwealth countries is technically a college which has received royal patronage and permission to use the prefix ''royal''. Permission is usually granted through a royal charter. The charter normally confers a constitut ...

in Rabat and obtaining the

Baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

in June 1989, he entered

Mohammed V University Mohammed V University (, french: Université Mohammed-V de Rabat), in Rabat, Morocco, was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. History The uni ...

in Rabat to start his higher studies in law. In May 1993, Prince Moulay Rachid obtained his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) majoring in economic and social law. The same year the Prince received his License to Practice Law –

Public Law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

. On 29 June 1995, the Prince completed his graduate studies and received a Master of Law (LL.M.) in Political Science. The

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

question was the subject of his research and the thesis that the Prince presented and supported publicly. In order to complete his training for his postgraduate education, in November 1993, the Prince started an internship with the United Nations in New York. On 18 May 2001, the Prince presented his doctorate thesis on the

Organisation of the Islamic Conference An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

at the Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV, which merited a specific mention for the quality of his work. On 21 June 1996, the Prince successfully completed the written and oral tests for his postgraduate education and received a postgraduate Degree in

International Relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such ...

As heir to the Moroccan throne

In 1999, after the death of his father and the enthronement of his brother

, the prince became

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 w ...

, but in 2003, this position was granted to his newborn nephew Moulay Hassan. The Prince is now second in line to the throne. In 1999, a few analysts like Nicolas Beau and Catherine Graciet argued that Moulay Rachid might be better suited for the job of the king than his brother. They expressed their concern that Mohammed VI might not have adequate expertise to deal with militant Islamists.

Fouad Mourtada controversy

On 5 February 2008, Fouad Mourtada was arrested on suspicion of stealing the identity of Moulay Rachid by creating a fake profile on Facebook as a joke. Although the prince did not seek to press charges, on 23 February, Fouad Mourtada was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 10,000 dirhams (~US$1,350). After local protests and international criticism, Fouad Mourtada was granted a royal pardon on 19 March 2008 just days before an appeal hearing.

Personal life

On 15 June 2014 he married, during the initial Moroccan wedding ceremony: the '' sadaq'' ceremony, his second cousin Oum Kalthum Boufarès (born 1987), who is daughter of Moulay El Mamoun Boufarès, former Minister of Interior, and paternal granddaughter of Lalla Khadija (a sister of Mohammed V). And on 13 and 14 November of the same year took place their ''zafaf'' (or celebration of marriage) at '' Dar al-Makhzen'' in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...

. His wife, henceforth ''Lalla'' Oum Kalthum, was granted by

the status of

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

on June 8, 2017. Their first child, a son, Moulay Ahmed was born on 23 June 2016. The couple have two children, referred to as

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adje ...

es. Moulay Rachid being second in line to the throne, his sons are respectively 3rd and 4th in line.

Children

* Prince Moulay Ahmed (born on ); * Prince Moulay Abdeslam (born ). On 14 October 2022, Rachid tested positive for the

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 quick ...

Activities

On 20 September 2022, Rachid attended the

Funeral of Queen 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 w ...

representing

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

and his brother

. On 7 November 2022, Rachid attended the

2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 6 November until 20 November 2022 in Sharm El Shei ...

that took place in

Sharm El Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh ( ar, شرم الشيخ, ), commonly abbreviated to Sharm, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 53,670 ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

representing

and his brother

Honours

National honours

HIH Moulay Rachid and HM Mohammed VI in 1993

* : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Throne The Order of the Throne (Arabic: ''Wissam al-Arch'', French: ''Ordre du Trône'') is a state decoration of the Kingdom of Morocco awarded for distinguished services of a civil or military nature. The Order was instituted on 16 May 1963 by King Ha ...

Foreign honours

* : Grand Cordon of the Order Al Khalifa. * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium ...

(5 October 2004). * : Grand Cross of the National Order of Independence (2009). * : Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit. * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian 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 the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(18 March 1997). * : First Class of the

Order of King Abdulaziz The Order of King Abdulaziz is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state. History In 1971, the introduction of orders was announced in a decree. It was instituted by King Fais ...

. * : Grand Cross (''Cruz'') of the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

(11 February 2005). * : First Class of the Order of Excellence (19 July 2003). * : Grand Cross of the

Military Order of Aviz The Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ( pt, Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis, ), previously to 1910 ''Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz'' ( pt, Real Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis), previously to 1789 ''Knights'' (of ...

(1998). * : Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (1993). * : Grand Collar of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

(22 September 1989). * : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic (31 May 2014). * : 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 ...

(14 July 1987).

Ancestry

References

External links

Hassan II Golf Trophy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moulay Rachid of Morocco, Prince 1970 births Living people Moroccan princes Royal Moroccan Navy officers Moroccan businesspeople People from Rabat Alumni of the Collège Royal (Rabat) Mohammed V University alumni Moroccan generals Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Collars of the Order of Civil Merit Sons of kings