Prince Hamzah celebrates 39th birthday

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hamzah celebrated his 39th birthday on Friday. Born in Amman on March 29, 1980, Prince Hamzah received his elementary education in the capital before completing his secondary studies at Harrow School in England.

He then enrolled in the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, graduating as a commissioned officer on December 10, 1999, with several awards including the Sandhurst Overseas Sword, granted to the best overseas cadet, and the Prince Saud Abdullah Prize presented to the cadet with the best aggregate mark in academic subjects.

His Majesty King Abdullah officially named him as crown prince on February 7, 1999, a title which he held until November 28, 2004.

Serving as an officer in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army’s 40th Armoured Brigade, Prince Hamzah, who currently holds the rank of colonel, attended several military courses and attachments in Jordan, the UK, Poland, Germany and the US.

He served with the Jordan-United Arab Emirates force operating in the former Yugoslavia under the umbrella of international peacekeepers.

The prince graduated from Harvard University in 2006. He also obtained his master’s degree in defence studies from King’s College, London, in July 2011.

He was sworn in as Regent on numerous occasions and deputised for King Abdullah on a number of missions in the Kingdom and abroad.

Prince Hamzah has chaired the Royal Advisory Committee on the Energy Sector and was also honorary president of the Jordan Basketball Federation.

The recipient of several decorations from Jordan and other countries including Bahrain, Italy and The Netherlands, the prince is also chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Automobile Museum, president of the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan and president of the Al Shajarah (Tree) Protection Society. He is also the honorary president of the Arab Robotics Association.

The prince’s daughter, HRH Princess Haya, was born on April 18, 2007.

He married Princess Basmah on January 12, 2012, and on November 3, 2012 they welcomed a baby girl who they named HRH Princess Zein. On July 5, 2014, they had HRH Princess Noor. In April 8, 2016, they had another baby girl, HRH Princess Badiya. On February 7, 2018, they welcomed the birth of HRH Princess Nafisa.

The prince is a qualified rotor and fixed-wing aircraft pilot, and enjoys other sports such as free-fall diving, target shooting and horseback riding.