Jordan Commemorates King Hussein’s Birthday

Today, Jordan marks the 74th anniversary of the birth of the late King Hussein. King Hussein bin Talal was born on November 14, 1935 at the Al-Qasr Al-Sagheer Palace in Amman to Prince Talal bin Abdullah and Princess Zein Al-Sharaf bint Jamil. After completing his elementary education in Amman, King Hussein attended Victoria College in Alexandria (Egypt),and Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, both in England.

When he was 15 years old, he witnessed the murder of his grandfather, King Abdullah I, at Al Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds (Jerusalem) after Friday prayers.

Prince Talal, King Abdullah’s eldest son, assumed the Throne on September 6, 1951; but only eleven months later, he was declared unfit to rule by parliament because of mental illness. King Talal abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Hussein. On August 11, 1952, Hussein was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He was only sixteen years old at the time. A Regency Council was appointed until King Hussein’s formal accession to the Throne on May 2, 1953, when he assumed his constitutional powers after reaching the age of eighteen, according to the Islamic calendar.

King Hussein was married four times. First to Sharifa Dina Abdul Hamid, with whom he had one daughter, Alia. They were divorced in 1957. He married Antoniette Gardiner in 1961. Gardiner, a British army officer’s daughter, took the name of Muna (Desire) upon her convertion to Islam. They had four children: Abdallah, Faisal, and the twins, Zein and Aisha. They divorced in 1972, and in the same year, the King married a Palestinian woman named Alia Baha Uddin Toukan, who died in helicopter crash on February 9, 1977. Queen Alia left two children, Haya and Ali, and one adopted child, Abir. His fourth and last marriage, was celebrated in June 15, 1978 at Zahran Palace (Amman) with Arab-American, Elizabeth Najeeb Halaby, who was known as Lisa. Lisa converted to Islam before her marriage and chose the name Noor Al Hussein (the light of Hussein). Queen Noor and King Hussein had four children: Hamzah, Hashim, Iman and Raiyah.

The life of His Majesty has been the subject of numerous books. He was also the author of three books: Uneasy Lies the Head (1962), about his childhood and early years as king, My War With Israel (1969), and Mon Métier de Roi.

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Tagged Anniversary, Biography, Birthday, King Hussein of Jordan.

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