Queen Alia Information and Pictures: Part 1

[Alexandria]

A new thread for pictures of Queen Alia.

Please review The Royal Forum's Posting Rules and Guidelines before making your posts, found here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=170480#post170480. Violations of the posting rules and guidelines may result in suspension or being banned.

 

[salma]

Queen Alia and King Hussein in the White House:

from rexfeatures

 

[Reina]

Ok I am interested in knowing what kind of first lady she was. How long was she queen and what kinds of projects/services did she do.

 

[sommone]

Ok I am interested in knowing what kind of first lady she was. How long was she queen and what kinds of projects/services did she do.

I'm not sure about her projects/services as I'm still learning this info myself, but I think she was only Queen for about 5 or 6 years before she passed.

 

[maryshawn]

Info on Queen Alia

Queen Alia was Queen from Dec. 25th, I believe, 1972 until Feb. 9, 1977 when she was killed. Her preoccupations were with the disabled, women and children and overall health issues. Many projects in her name were/are chaired by KH's sister and a few now by Princess Haya (please correct me if I am getting her title wrong). Such was her commitment to women's issues, she attended a conference of ME women held in Egypt w/in 2 weeks of Prince Ali's birth. I read this in Jehan Sadat's memoirs.

She did make it clear family was first priority and had no official office anywhere, per Haya's recollection. She spent most of her time at home wearing jeans and a t-shirt saying "I Love Hussein." She did not shirk functions, royal engagements and state visits but her husband and children--and the kids were very young--were her focus and it is likely that, as they grew, she would have established an office and taken on more causes. Fascinating lady! And when I say she did not shirk her duties--well, she died trying to help solve an issue in Aqaba at a hospital where people were complaining their treatment was bad. She immediately flew off and her helicopter crashed on the way home in a sudden sandstorm. KH, in his video bio, mentioned there were 2 helicopters flying together. The one she was on crashed; but I never heard if the other did, as well.

 

[suria]

i like QA alot i think she was agreat woman her children love her alot this is obvious they didn't forget her even she died when they were so young

 

[maryshawn]

Wedding casual shot and an official portrait.

 

[sommone]

Queen Alia was Queen from Dec. 25th, I believe, 1972 until Feb. 9, 1977 when she was killed. Her preoccupations were with the disabled, women and children and overall health issues. Many projects in her name were/are chaired by KH's sister and a few now by Princess Haya (please correct me if I am getting her title wrong). Such was her commitment to women's issues, she attended a conference of ME women held in Egypt w/in 2 weeks of Prince Ali's birth. I read this in Jehan Sadat's memoirs.

She did make it clear family was first priority and had no official office anywhere, per Haya's recollection. She spent most of her time at home wearing jeans and a t-shirt saying "I Love Hussein." She did not shirk functions, royal engagements and state visits but her husband and children--and the kids were very young--were her focus and it is likely that, as they grew, she would have established an office and taken on more causes. Fascinating lady! And when I say she did not shirk her duties--well, she died trying to help solve an issue in Aqaba at a hospital where people were complaining their treatment was bad. She immediately flew off and her helicopter crashed on the way home in a sudden sandstorm. KH, in his video bio, mentioned there were 2 helicopters flying together. The one she was on crashed; but I never heard if the other did, as well.

Great woman indeed!! This is my first time hearing there were 2 helicopters. It does make you wonder what happened to the people in the other one?

 

[maryshawn]

Formal portraits and official outings with King Hussein

 

[laila_sahrazade]

today is't 28 years ago Queen Alia passes away.

http://www.alrai.com./pages.php?news_id=20183

love laila

 

[sommone]

today is't 28 years ago Queen Alia passes away.

http://www.alrai.com./pages.php?news_id=20183

love laila

Yes, thanks Laila. Would someone be kind enough to translate this for those who don't read or speak arabic, please.

 

[salma]

from Petra:
King, Prince Ali Visit Queen Alia's Tomb
Amman, Feb. 9(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
and HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein visited on Wednesday the late
Queen Alia's tomb where they recited verses from the Holy Koran and
laid wreaths on the grave.

 

[sol_anglada]

question

from Petra:
King, Prince Ali Visit Queen Alia's Tomb
Amman, Feb. 9(Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
and HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein visited on Wednesday the late
Queen Alia's tomb where they recited verses from the Holy Koran and
laid wreaths on the grave.

do you know if there are some munuments, foundations, hospitals, cultural centers that have the name of Queen Alia?

 

[suria]

do you know if there are some munuments, foundations, hospitals, cultural centers that have the name of Queen Alia?

yes there is
Queen Alia's airport
queen Alia's hospital
Queen Alia's street
queen Alia's foundation for volunteering work
this is what comes in my mind now but there is many of them

 

[salma]

yes there is
Queen Alia's airport
queen Alia's hospital
Queen Alia's street
queen Alia's foundation for volunteering work
this is what comes in my mind now but there is many of them

Yes and the Queen Alia Fund for Social Development

 

[abir]

Picture of QA from anp.

 

[suria]

Picture Of Queen Alia

 

[tipper]

Is it true that QN, in her bio- Leap of faith- writes that Q Alia was killed by some1 who was following Q Zein's orders? I have surely read the book, but can't recall Q Noor ever wrote it, it seems quite far fetched, and QN would have never writen something like that about her mother in law. I also read that Alia was killed as her roots were PAL, and ali was mistreated as he also had, through his late mum, PAL origins- ?????????? PS- in which way was Ali mistreated ? Never heard this be4e, does any1 know anything about these stories ?

 

[rubaa]

Is it true that QN, in her bio- Leap of faith- writes that Q Alia was killed by some1 who was following Q Zein's orders? I have surely read the book, but can't recall Q Noor ever wrote it, it seems quite far fetched, and QN would have never writen something like that about her mother in law. I also read that Alia was killed as her roots were PAL, and ali was mistreated as he also had, through his late mum, PAL origins- ?????????? PS- in which way was Ali mistreated ? Never heard this be4e, does any1 know anything about these stories ?

A
On the contrary Alia was loved by both Jordaniens and Palestiniens because she was a good queen and because she was a Jordanien of palestinien origins ,as is the case of all families in Jordan you cant find a purely jordanien family or a purely palestinien family .the families are mixed here ,and prince Ali is loved in Jordan for his bio Jordanien-Palestinien roots ,it is an asset for him.

 

[maryshawn]

Just to clarify a point, in the book "Leap of Faith" Noor writes of all the "many, improbable rumors" she had to deal with once she became Queen; she cites the Zein ordered the assasination of QA as one such ludicruous rumor. Queen Zein was not the type of person to order the murder of her son's wife nor the mother of her grandchildren, for goodness sake. That was QN's point. It was a well-intentioned but ultimately unfortunate decision of QA to fly off into a bad storm--even after KH called her and asked her not to do it--and that is what took down her helicopter.


QA's Palestinian origins were/are a definite asset and I think--though her time as Queen was brief--she was a real advocate for them. Prince Ali and Princess Haya benefit from that link, as well, or so it is my understanding. They are 1/2 palestinian by birth. I don't know Abir's background and if she was palestinian or not?


I have read QR is the first true palestinian queen of Jordan and I don't honestly understand that. I guess I attribute it to writers or interviewers who have not done their research and know about QA. QR doesn't represent herself as such.

 

[Jackswife]

She was certainly very beautiful and popular with the Jordanian people. Seeing pictures of her always makes me a little sad, and I sometimes wonder if she had lived, how things would have turned out for her. I'm also an admirer of Queen Noor, so I know that "what if?" would have meant no QN, but still I do wonder about what may have been. BTW Abir's father was Jordanian, so I'm not sure what (if any) Palestinian connection there was (is).

 

[maryshawn]

Thank you; I didn't know that he was Jordanian; I only knew an airliner had crashed and QA had read about this little girl--Abir--who was found in her dead mother's arms. Princess Haya once wrote about QA's dedication to nursing Abir back to health. Abir slept in their room and QA was with her night and day. When asked while she was pregnant with Haya if she and KH were excited about their "first" baby, she said "this will be our second as Abir is our first daughter." Abir and Haya and Ali certainly bonded together after QA's death and Haya wrote "Abir reminded us all of our mother and we both watched over Ali. She was wonderful, despite the fact this was her 2nd loss of a parent at a young age." The last thing Alia did before leaving was see Ali take his first steps; she was very happy and said "my wonderful Ali, you are walking on your own; now that I have seen that I can leave you now." Kind of chilling, isn't it in hindsight?

 

[shelley]

The last thing Alia did before leaving was see Ali take his first steps; she was very happy and said "my wonderful Ali, you are walking on your own; now that I have seen that I can leave you now." Kind of chilling, isn't it in hindsight?

I am not doubting this, but I am curious as to who was the source for this snippet ? The king was not there when Queen Alia took off on her doomed flight,and the nanny was killed shortly after her. I am sure that there were not many people around or else they would have surely tried to prevent her from going .

 

[shelley]

BTW Abir's father was Jordanian, so I'm not sure what (if any) Palestinian connection there was (is).

Abir Muhseian's father was a Jordanian/Palestinian. He was a driver in the army, maybe even in the royal palaces, I am not sure. I believe an attempt was made for him to keep seeing Abir in the beginning but as she got older, the poor girl could not cope with the huge contrasts between her real and adopted family, and so the contact eventually ceased.

 

[maryshawn]

It is from Haya and Abir and was quoted on Haya's Team Harmony thread when it was running. It has been "under construction" for awhile now unfortunately. Yes, Haya was young when her mother died and Abir a bit older but Abir recalls this conversation quite vividly. You always wonder--or I do--about revisionism; it's what they recall her saying.

Thank you for clarifying the nanny issue.....I'd read somewhere the children experienced the loss of their mother than nanny in a very short period of time. I didn't know if the nanny had left or what.

Oh, yes, KH was not there but called QA--and this is from a paperback on KH--to say her plans for the day should be cancelled as his favorite pilot, the one who flew her helicopter that day, had contacted him saying the weather conditions were not good for flying. She obviously didn't heed the advice and decided to go anyway. And both the pilot and QA died on the return trip.

I am not doubting this, but I am curious as to who was the source for this snippet ? The king was not there when Queen Alia took off on her doomed flight,and the nanny was killed shortly after her. I am sure that there were not many people around or else they would have surely tried to prevent her from going .

 

[Jackswife]

Yes, Alia was very careful that Abir should receive equal treatment alongside the other children, and that was very admirable. She was always it seems, first and foremost a wife and mother, and then Queen.

 

[shelley]

It is from Haya and Abir and was quoted on Haya's Team Harmony thread when it was running. It has been "under construction" for awhile now unfortunately. Yes, Haya was young when her mother died and Abir a bit older but Abir recalls this conversation quite vividly. You always wonder--or I do--about revisionism; it's what they recall her saying.

QUOTE]

As I often cannot remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, I am quite impressed at their memory. Haya was not yet three when her mother died and Abir would have been four something. I still feel they must be quoting someone, and without sounding cynical about a tragically premature death, there are always people who will have incredibily accurate and selective memories about what are said by people ' just before....'.

 

[suria]

A
On the contrary Alia was loved by both Jordaniens and Palestiniens because she was a good queen and because she was a Jordanien of palestinien origins ,as is the case of all families in Jordan you cant find a purely jordanien family or a purely palestinien family .the families are mixed here ,and prince Ali is loved in Jordan for his bio Jordanien-Palestinien roots ,it is an asset for him.

yes , i agree with you , and most of us (Jordanian with Palestinian origin) loves Ali , and feel that he has been mistreated because of this too

 

[maryshawn]

I know what you are saying, Shelley, re: Haya/Abir's recollection of QA. And perhaps it was fed to them. I know my 9 year old recalls things which happened when she was 4 or 5 which she has occasionally brought up long after I'd forgotten them. Bottom line, I'm glad they "remember" QA well.

I agree with the fact QA seemed to put family first; being Queen second; I think it shows good values. I don't think she led the easiest life. Her comments to Margaret Trudeau (documented in her book) and Jehan Sadat (in her autobiography) make it clear she loved her family very much but craved a simpler, anonymous life far away from Jordan. She talks about a house in London with simple furniture and worries about what she felt was increasing animosity toward her in Jordan. When you read comments taken from a letter she wrote shortly before her death--"I know I have produced a Crown Prince and that is something......" and then goes on to worry some of her actions have raised the ire of her husband and other officials.....well, if the fact she gave birth to Ali was the only thing she felt was of significance to those around her, it's really rather sad.

Roland Dallas, the highly sympathetic biographer of KH, writes Alia "suffered as a result of the King's fondness for British nannies." That, too, is sad. They were only married from 1972-1977--and he was out seeking affection or whatever you want to call it from others right there in the royal household. That's got to grate at one's self-esteem.

Her concern about her country's feelings toward her may very well have been the reason she felt the need to ignore the warnings and fly off to the hospital that day. Perhaps she felt she couldn't afford to let anyone down at that point. She was also a person who always gravitated toward people who needed help, according to her brother.

I wish more was known about Alia as one has to glean things from the little things written about her in other peoples' autobiographies or rely on the questionable recollections of her young children.

I'd read her father had died; are any of her siblings still around? I wonder how much contact they have--if any--with her children.

 

[maryshawn]

Name Change for the Queen Alia Fund for Social Development

I really don't understand the "need" for the name change:

AMMAN (J.T.) — HRH Princess Basma Sunday called for intensifying the development efforts and activities of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development.

The Princess, addressing a meeting attended by fund employees and heads of social development centres from various governorates, spoke about the change of the fund's name from the Queen Alia Fund for Social Development (QAF) to the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development.

The fund's new name, she said, embodies the noble message of the Hashemites pursued by the late King Hussein and initiated by the Kingdom's founder, the late King Abdullah and the late King Talal and the Hashemite queens, who endeavoured to serve all Jordanians.

Princess Basma said the Hashemite message has been passed on to His Majesty King Abdullah, who now leads the march as the head of the Hashemite family and shoulders the responsibilities for the country.

Princess Basma said King Hussein was a source of inspiration in major achievements accomplished in many fields.

She said King Hussein was a supporter of the fund and was behind the fund's main achievements in development, adding that the late King was always keen to know about the public services offered by the fund and always provided directives for future plans.

The late King Hussein envisaged social work as the most effective way to improve the living condition of individuals and local communities, added Princess Basma.

Believing in the right of all citizens to a decent living, the King was behind initiatives in this concern and supported them with all his might, according to Princess Basma.

Inspired by the late King's spirit and thoughts, in respect of the march he led to achieve progress and prosperity for Jordan and in commitment to his eternal message which is now borne by King Abdullah, the fund will exert all efforts to uphold the King Hussein's motto, “The citizens are our most precious asset.” The fund pledges to adopt this logo as an incentive to attain its meaning. The new name of the fund, The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, has been chosen to underline the translation of his message to facts on the ground.

In memory of the late Queen Alia, who passed away in the line of duty to the Kingdom, Princess Basma said the fund's social development centre in Tafileh will be named after Queen Alia and be known from now on by the name of “The Queen Alia Centre for Social Development” and the Hashemite competition will be changed to “The Queen Alia Competition for Voluntary Social Work.”