Royal Court statement: Setting things straight

Royal family members are entitled to express their personal views like any Jordanian citizen.

People in the country and abroad have to realise this fact, and it was in this context that the Royal Court issued a statement on Saturday clarifying the issue.

At the present time, almost every person has one account or more on social media, whether on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and others.

People from all walks of life comment on events and developments, and freely express personal views on various issues.

This personal freedom, the freedom of expression, is safeguarded as long as it does not contravene Jordanian laws and international conventions.

And this freedom, which complies with the Jordanian Constitution, laws and the principles of democracy, can also be enjoyed by members of the Royal family, many of who occupy positions in international organisations, United Nations bodies, human rights watchdogs, sports federation and humanitarian societies.

Royal family members working with such bodies and institutions are certainly experts in their field of specialisation and are entitled to take stands and to make comments on developments or issues pertaining to their field of work in whatever manner they find fit.

This was made clear by Saturday’s statement, which stressed that all comments made by Royal family members, with the exception of official statements, are their own “personal” views.

The statement also specified that official statements, according to the Constitution, can only be issued by the Royal Hashemite Court or through the media and social media channels of His Majesty King Abdullah and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein.

The statement was clear and to the point, and should in no way be taken out of context.

It was only intended to clarify the fact that opinions or comments made by any Royal family member do not represent the official stand of the Hashemite family or of Jordan, which has its proper channels of communication, as specified in the statement.