Hamzah bin Hussein

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Prince Hamzah
Prince Hamzah of Jordan
Born (1980-03-29) 29 March 1980 (age 44)
Amman, Jordan
Spouse Princess Noor bint Asem
(m. 2003, div. 2009)
Basmah Bani-Ahmad
(m. 2012)
Issue Princess Haya
Princess Zein
Princess Noor
House House of Hashim
Father King Hussein
Mother Queen Noor

Prince Hamzah bin Hussein (Arabic: حمزة بن الحسين‎‎) (born 29 March 1980)[1] is the son of King Hussein of Jordan and his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor. He was named Crown Prince of Jordan in 1999, a position he held until it was rescinded in 2004 by his half-brother, King Abdullah II. Queen Noor states in her autobiography that she and King Hussein named their son after Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib.

Official biography

Born on 29 March 1980, Prince Hamzah ibn Al Hussein claims ancestry with the Islamic Prophet Mohammad through the Hashemite family. King Abdullah II officially named him as Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 7 February 1999, a position he held until 28 November 2004.

Prince Hamzah received his elementary education in Jordan and Amman, and then attended Harrow School in England. He then joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, passing out as a commissioned officer in the Jordan Arab Legion in December 1999, with a number of prizes including the Sandhurst Overseas Sword, granted to the best overseas cadet and the HRH Prince Saud Abdullah Prize, presented to the cadet with the best aggregate mark in academic subjects.

Jordanian Royal Family
Coat of arms of Jordan.svg

HM The King
HM The Queen


HM Queen Noor

Serving then as an officer in the Jordan Arab Army’s 40th Armored Brigade, Prince Hamzah attended a number of military courses and attachments in Jordan, the UK, Poland, Germany and the US. Currently holding the rank of Colonel in the Jordan Arab Army, he served with the Jordan-United Arab Emirates force operating in former Yugoslavia under the umbrella of international peacekeepers. In the year 2006, he graduated from Harvard University.

Prince Hamzah was sworn in as Regent on numerous occasions and deputized for King Abdullah II on a number of missions in the Kingdom and abroad. He heads the Royal Advisory Committee on the Energy Sector. He is also the Honorary President of the Jordan Basketball Federation, and is the Chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Automobile Museum,[2] the President of the Royal Aero sports Club of Jordan and the President of Al-Shajarah (Tree) Protection Society.[3]

Prince Hamzah is a qualified rotor and fixed wing aircraft pilot and enjoys other sports such as Jujitsu and target-shooting.

Education

The prince attended Harrow, UK, and graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He also graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK. He has conducted a variety of courses as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Arab Jordanian Army.

Succession issue

On 28 November 2004, King Abdullah removed the title of Crown Prince from his half-brother. In a letter from Abdullah to Hamzah, read on Jordanian state television, he said, "Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake." No successor to the title was named, but some analysts believed it probable that Abdullah intended to name his own son, Prince Hussein, to succeed him at some point in the future.[4] On 2 July 2009, the King did so.

Marriage and family

First marriage

Prince Hamzah married his second cousin, Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, at Al Baraka Palace in Amman on 29 August 2003.[5] The official wedding was held on 27 May 2004. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor divorced on 9 September 2009. The couple had one daughter:

  • Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Hamzah (born 18 April 2007)

Second marriage

On 12 January 2012 Prince Hamzah married Basmah Bani Ahmad. The couple has two daughters:

  • Her Royal Highness Princess Zein bint Hamzah (born 3 November 2012)[6][7]
  • Her Royal Highness Princess Noor bint Hamzah (born 5 July 2014)[8]

Personal interests

Prince Hamzah's interests include piloting helicopters, shooting, parachuting, sky diving, motorcycling, and practicing some water sports. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is among his interests. He also spends time reading, particularly history books and biographies.[9]

Ancestry

Family of Hamzah bin Hussein
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Abdullah I of Jordan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Abdiya bin Abdullah
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Talal of Jordan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Nasser bin 'Ali Pasha, Sharif of Mecca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Musbah bint Nasser
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Dilber Khanum
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Hussein of Jordan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Nasser bin 'Ali Pasha, Sharif of Mecca (= 18)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Sharif Jamal 'Ali bin Nasser
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Dilber Khanum (= 19)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Zein al-Sharaf
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Shakir Pasha, Governor of Cyprus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Wijdan Shakir Pasha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. Elias Halaby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Najeeb Elias Halaby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Almas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Najeeb Elias Halaby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. John Thomas Wilkins
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Laura Wilkins
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Mamie P Steele
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Lisa Halaby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Karl Johan Carlquist
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Franklin Elvin Carlquist
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Kristina Sofia Ljunggren
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Doris Carlquist
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Eli Ackroyd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Mae Ethel Ackroyd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Janet Peddie
 
 
 
 
 
 

Honours

National Honours

Foreign Honours

References

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  4. Jordan crown prince loses title, BBC News, 29 November 2004. Accessed 3 June 2008.
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  10. 10.0 10.1 Hamzah's Biography, Copyright © 1998, The Royal Hashemite Court
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Royal Ark, Jordanian genealogy details
  12. Italian Presidency Website, S.A.R. Principe Ereditario HAMZAH BIN AL HUSSEIN
  13. Group Photo
  14. PPE Agency, State visit of Jordan in Netherlands 2006, Group Photo

Queen Noor (2003) Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, Miramax Books, ISBN 0-7868-6717-5

Royal titles
Preceded by Crown Prince of Jordan
1999–2004
Succeeded by
Hussein bin Al Abdullah
Lines of succession
Preceded by Line of succession to the Jordanian throne
7th position
Succeeded by
Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein