Behind the scenes of Abdullah and Rania’s Happiness: Secrets and Tragedies of the Jordanian Royal Family

In March 2023, 26-year-old Princess Iman, the eldest daughter of Rania and Abdallah, married her chosen one, financier Jamil Alexander Termiotis. And on June 1, the 28-year-old Crown Prince Hussein married his chosen one, the daughter of multimillionaire and aristocrat Rajwa Al Saif.

Also read: The future mistress of Jordan: who is Rajwa Al Saif, whom the eldest son of the beautiful Queen Rania will marry

52-year-old Queen Rania and 61-year-old King Abdullah did not hide their joy: they fully approved the chosen ones of their children. Representatives of the world’s elite attended two luxurious weddings, and the brides’ outfits set the trends of the season.

But not always in the halls of the rulers of Jordan there was happy sincere laughter. The history of this family is marked by a series of tragic wounds – here are some of them.

On July 20, 1951, 69-year-old King Abdullah I was shot dead on the steps of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Accompanied by his 15-year-old grandson Hussein and bodyguards, he came to pray at the grave of his father, who had been expelled from Saudi Arabia, and was shot dead by a 21-year-old local tailor, apparently a religious fanatic.

Abdullah I came to Jerusalem to reach peace agreements with Israel. This decision had many opponents and as a result the King of Jordan died. In addition, 22 innocent people died when the guards opened fire to kill after the assassination attempt.

Young Hussein miraculously survived – the bullet bounced off his medal. The monarch, on the other hand, died after being shot three times in the head and another in the chest at the age of 69.

After the death of King Abdullah of Jordan, the first of that name, his 63-year-old son Talal became the head of state. But his reign was short-lived. After only 11 months, Talal had to abdicate.

The reason was very sad: the king suffered from schizophrenia, and the shocks worsened the course of the disease. In August 1952, the parliament forced him to abdicate and his 16-year-old son Hussein took his place. Talal lived another 20 years and died in a sanatorium for the mentally ill in Istanbul.

The charming and educated Hussein I, whose charisma was not spoiled even by his modest height – only 155 cm, knew true love only when he married the aristocrat Aliya Bahaudin Tukanová for the third time. The couple had a son and a daughter (the rebellious princess Haya bint al Hussein, the fugitive ex-wife of the cruel Sheikh Maktoum)) and adopted a Palestinian orphan girl, Abeer, who grew up in the palace. Aliya was loved by everyone, including her husband’s children from previous marriages. Incidentally, the future King Abdullah II was born in Hussein’s second marriage to the Englishwoman Antoinette Avril Gardiner.

Everything seemed perfect – but a great tragedy awaited this great love. Five years after the wedding, 28-year-old Alia died in a plane crash in Amman

In 1983, the new Amman airport was named after her. Hussein never recovered from this loss, although he married for the fourth time to Arab-American Lisa Najib Halabi and became a father four more times.

Hamza, the son of Liza Najib Halabi, also known as Queen Noor, was on good terms with his older half-brother. When Abdullah II became King of Jordan in 1999. (that’s another story – he won the throne completely unexpectedly), at the request of his father Hussein, he appointed Hamza as the heir.

Also read: A completely different person: how Rania, the most beautiful queen, looked before plastic surgery and marriage to the prince of Jordan

However, in 2004, this title was annulled due to trouble: Hamza was attempting a coup d’état.

Nevertheless, Abdullah II. he did not restrict his half-brother in state privileges for many years and did not stop trying to improve relations. However, the roots of the conflict were very deep: in 2022, 42-year-old Hamza even announced that he was ready to renounce all titles “because his personal values ​​do not match those of the Jordanian royal family.”

Abdullah II reacted harshly to such a loud statement, effectively placing Hamza under house arrest and banning him from leaving the country. “It is difficult to deal with someone who considers himself a hero and a victim at the same time,” the king explained in his letter to the people. “We will give Hamza everything he needs for a comfortable life, but he will not have the space he once abused to insult the nation, its institutions and his family or undermine the stability of Jordan.”

Now his eldest son Hussein was named the official successor of Abdullah II. And Abdullah is unlikely to change his mind…