Prince Hamzah bin Hussein

Born on 29 March 1980, Prince Hamzah Bin 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.

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 Brigadier 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.

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.

On 7 February 1999 King Hussein died and his eldest son Prince Abdullah bin Hussein acceded to the throne of Jordan, having two weeks previously been designated to succeed his father as ruler in place of the king's brother, Crown Prince Hassan bin Talal. On the same day, in compliance with his father's wish, King Abdullah II decreed that he, in turn, would be succeeded not by a son of his own but by his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, who was therefore accorded the title of crown prince.[4]

Nearly six years later, on 28 November 2004, King Abdullah removed Hamzah as crown prince.[5] 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."[5]

No successor to the title was named at the time, 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.[5] Article 28(B) of Jordan's constitution provides that the king's eldest son automatically succeeds to the crown upon the monarch's death unless the king has designated one of his brothers to inherit the throne as crown prince,[6] but Abdullah II confirmed that his son Hussein would succeed him by designating him as crown prince on 2 July 2009.[4]

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.[15]

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