Crown Prince marks 30th birthday

AMMAN — Friday marks the 30th birthday of HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the eldest son of Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania, and the 42nd generation direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad.

His Royal Highness was born in Amman on June 28, 1994, and was named as Crown Prince in a Royal Decree, issued on July 2, 2009.

In 2017, His Royal Highness graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, from which his father, King Abdullah, and his grandfather, His Majesty the late King Hussein, had graduated.

In 2016, the Crown Prince graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he majored in international history. He also graduated in 2012 from King’s Academy in Madaba.

His Royal Highness married Her Highness Princess Rajwa on June 1, 2023.

The Crown Prince holds the rank of Major in the Jordanian Armed Forces - Arab Army and currently serves as the tank company deputy commander on the Second Royal Armoured Battalion, a unit of the King Hussein Bin Talal 40th Armoured Brigade.

Prince Hussein has participated alongside his fellow soldiers in many military and specialised field training courses, including parachuting, special operations, naval forces, and helicopter aviation. He also shows great care for both active and retired military personnel.

The Crown Prince supervised the "Brothers in Arms" programme, which was prepared based on Royal directives to support military retirees and veterans, through a committee formed for this purpose.

He follows up with all institutions on the implementation of the King’s directives through visits and inspection tours.

In the framework of King Abdullah's efforts to support Palestinian brothers, the Crown Prince oversaw the dispatch of a new Jordanian field hospital to Gaza and the preparation of an aid plane at Marka Airport for the people in Gaza from the Arish region in Egypt.

His Royal Highness has given young Jordanians his utmost attention, with the Crown Prince Foundation, launched in 2015, geared towards empowering youths by instilling in them a sense of leadership, citizenship and dedication to hard work.

The number of beneficiaries from the foundation's initiatives and programs exceeded 2.2 million in 2023.

The Crown Prince has represented Jordan at multiple international forums, including chairing a UN Security Council meeting in April 2015 to lead an open debate on the Role of Youth in Countering Violent Extremism and Promoting Peace.

Following His Royal Highness’ efforts, Jordan hosted the Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security in May 2015, leading to the Amman Youth Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security.

In September 2017, the Crown Prince, deputising for His Majesty, delivered Jordan’s address at the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

In September 2020, His Royal Highness delivered a keynote address at the third Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS), which aims to reduce poverty and achieve comprehensive globalisation and environmental sustainability, through industrial development.

The Crown Prince participated in an interactive session in the second edition of the “Tawasol 2024” forum, held by the Crown Prince Foundation at the beginning of June this year. He emphasised the importance of continuing to develop the education and higher education sectors.

As part of his interest in tourism, technical education and vocational training sectors, the Crown Prince Foundation established Al Hussein Technical University in 2016, which received its first cohort in 2017.

His Royal Highness has received several medals, including the Order of Independence (First Class), the Order of King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein for Excellence (First Class), the First State Centennial Medal, the Royal Order of the Polar Star from Sweden, the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (First Class), the Order of King Hamad (Collar of the Excellent Class) from Bahrain, and the Centennial Medal of the Great Arab Revolt.

The Crown Prince’s interests include football, diving, adventure, shooting and cycling.