His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein
His Majesty King Abdullah II assumed his constitutional powers as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7, 1999, following the death of his father, His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, may God bless his soul. He is the 41st-generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Prince Abdullah bin Hussein bin Talal was born in Amman on January 30, 1962, as the eldest son of King Hussein bin Talal, may God bless his soul, and Princess Muna Al-Hussein. He has four brothers and six sisters. He received his primary education at the Islamic Scientific College in Amman, completing it in 1966, then attended St. Edmund's School in Britain, followed by Eagle brook School and Deerfield Academy in the United States for his secondary education.
As part of his officer training in the Jordanian Armed Forces, he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 1980 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon completion of his military studies. He was then appointed as a reconnaissance unit commander in the 13/18th Battalion of the British Royal Hussars. In 1982, he enrolled at Oxford University, where he completed a course in Middle Eastern studies.
Upon returning to Jordan, he joined the Jordanian Armed Forces with the rank of first lieutenant, serving as a platoon leader and company second-in-command in the 40th Armored Brigade. In 1985, he attended the Advanced Armor Officers' Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA.
In 1986, he became a tank squadron commander in the 91st Armored Brigade of the Jordanian Armed Forces with the rank of captain. He also served in the Anti-Tank Helicopter Wing of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, having previously qualified as a paratrooper in free-fall jumping and as a combat pilot on Cobra helicopters.
In 1987, he joined the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., completing an advanced research and study program in international affairs as part of the Master of Foreign Service program.
He served as a company executive officer and battalion commander in the Royal Tank Battalion/17 and was promoted to the rank of major. He also attended the Staff Course at the British Royal Staff College in Camberley, UK. Between 1991-1992, he represented the Armored Corps in the office of the Inspector General of the Jordanian Armed Forces. He commanded the Second Royal Mechanized Infantry Battalion. In 1993, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and served in the command of the 40th Armored Brigade, later becoming the assistant commander and then the commander of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces with the rank of brigadier. In 1996, he reorganized the Special Forces to form the Special Operations Command.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1998 and attended the Defense Resource Management Course at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, in June and July of that year.
In addition to his military service, he served as deputy several times during the absence of His Majesty King Hussein, may God bless his soul, from the country.
The Royal Decree was issued on January 24, 1999, appointing him as the Crown Prince.
He had previously held the position of Crown Prince by Royal Decree according to Article 28 of the Jordanian Constitution, from the day of his birth on January 30, 1962, until April 1, 1965.
He married Queen Rania on June 10, 1993, and they have two sons and two daughters: His Royal Highness Prince Hussein, the Crown Prince, born on June 28, 1994; Her Royal Highness Princess Iman, born on September 27, 1996; Her Royal Highness Princess Salma, born on September 26, 2000; and His Royal Highness Prince Hashem, born on January 30, 2005.
