Amid rising tensions in the Middle East due to the conflict in Iran, Queen Noor of Jordan has publicly urged King Abdullah II to release her eldest son, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, who has been under house arrest since April 2021.
The widow of King Hussein of Jordan took to social media to express concern for Hamzah’s situation, which has remained largely out of public life since authorities accused him of being involved in an alleged plot to destabilize the country.
“It’s time for the Jordanian palace to free Prince Hamzah and any other innocent people from their arbitrary detention so they can protect themselves during this war,” Queen Noor wrote on X on February 28.
It is not the first time she has spoken out. In 2023, she marked the third anniversary of his detention, describing it as “arbitrary, cruel, and illegal.”
© Getty ImagesThe prince who could have been king
Prince Hamzah once played a prominent role in Jordan’s royal family. When King Hussein died in 1999, the throne passed to his son Abdullah, born from the monarch’s second marriage. who named Hamzah as the crown prince shortly afterward.
However, the line of succession changed dramatically in 2004. King Abdullah removed his half-brother as heir and later designated his own eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, whom he shares with Queen Rania of Jordan, as the future king.
Hamzah eventually stepped away from royal life entirely. In 2022, one year after the alleged coup attempt that led to his detention, he announced he was relinquishing the title of prince. In a statement explaining his decision, he said his personal convictions and the values instilled in him by his father were no longer aligned with the direction of Jordan’s institutions.
Despite his criticism, Hamzah emphasized his loyalty to the country. “I had the great honor of serving my beloved nation and people,” he said. “I will remain loyal to our dear Jordan, as I always have been.”
© Dave Benett/Getty ImagesA father of seven
Prince Hamzah, now 45, is the eldest of the four children King Hussein had with Queen Noor. Educated at the prestigious Harrow School in the United Kingdom, he later trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and graduated from Harvard University in 2006.
In 2004, while still crown prince, he married Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef. Their wedding drew international attention and was attended by the then-Spanish royals King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain, who were on their honeymoon at the time.
The couple welcomed a daughter, Princess Haya bint Hamzah, before divorcing in 2009 after five years of marriage.
Hamzah later remarried in 2012 to Princess Basmah Bani Ahmad. Together they share six children, four daughters and two sons, including their youngest child, born in February 2022, months after the prince had already been placed under house arrest.
© Getty ImagesRead the full article here
