HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan is the daughter of the
late HM King Hussein I of Jordan (1935 – 1999) andthe
late HM Queen Alia Al Hussein of Jordan (1948-1977) who died tragically in a helicopter crash. Princess Haya was born on May 3rd 1974. The late King Hussein and the late Queen Alia adopted Princess Haya’s sister Abir Muhaisen in December 1973, and Queen Alia gave birth to HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein on December 23rd 1975.
HRH Princess Haya was married to
HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defense, on April 10th 2004, and now resides with her husband in Dubai, traveling to her homeland Jordan often. She has in Arab Hashemite tradition retained her own name, Haya Bint Al Hussein.
Her official title becomes now:
Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, wife of His Highness Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, UAE, Minister of Defense.
HRH Princess Haya received her early education in Jordan. In 1985 she attended Badminton Boarding School for Girls in Bristol, England. Where she sat and received 14 GCSE’s. She next attended Bryanston School in Dorset, where she sat and received 4 ‘A’ Levels in Classical Arabic, English Literature, Politics and Government, and History. In 1992 she enrolled in St Hilda’s College, Oxford University and graduated in June 1995 with an Honors Degree BA MA, in P.P.E. (Politics, Philosophy and Economics.)
At the age of 13 HRH Princess Haya was selected to represent her country Internationally in the Equestrian Sport (Show Jumping) for the first time. In 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, she won the Jordanian National Show jumping Championships. In 1992 she became the first woman to qualify and compete in Equestrian in the Pan Arab Games, in Damascus Syria. At this event she also won an Individual Bronze medal, making her the first and only woman to ever win a Pan Arab Medal Equestrian to date. She was voted “Athlete of the Year” by the Jordanian Public in 1993, and nominated “Athlete of the Year” by the Arab BBC Radio in 1994, after winning numerous National and International Events in the Arab and Asian Region. HRH Princess Haya was also twice (1988, 1992) decorated by her Late father King Hussein, for excelling in her sport internationally.
In 1995 the Late King Hussein decided to create an International Show jumping String of horses, which he named
“Team Harmony” for his daughter, and asked that she widen her participation to a worldwide level. He wished that she competed in top international competitions representing Jordan, with a view to Olympic Games and World Championships, and studying the structure of top class sports in order to restructure sports in Jordan when her competing career had ended. He chose Ireland as Team Harmony’s first International base, and Paul Darragh and Alian Storme of Tara, County Meath as her first trainers. During her training in Ireland Princess Haya also trained part time as a flat race jockey, with Tommy Stack. She rode in Ladies Flat Races 1994 – 1996. In 1996 Team Harmony registered the highest number of International wins of an Irish based team, 33 International classes, 6 International Grand Prix’s, and one Volvo World Cup Qualifier. In 1996 Princess Haya also received an award from the Spanish Equestrian Federation as the Equestrian Personality of the Year.
In 1997 the Late King Hussein moved his daughter to train with Paul Schockemohle in Muhlen, Germany. She trained there until her father’s tragic death in 1999, and after his death qualified for the Olympic Games Sydney 2000. In 1999, HRH moved to train for 1 year with former Dutch Team trainer Hans Horn, in Ootmarsum, Holland. And in 2000 moved once again to train with Katie Monahan Prudent and Alice Debany Clero in Paris, France. In May 2000 HRH Princess Haya became the first Jordanian Athlete to give up her amateur status, and signed a commercial contract with Loro Piana, Italy. (Jordan has no professional status for athletes, a legislation that HRH has been trying to implement since 1992). She competed under their colors until October 2001.
HRH Princess Haya competed in Sydney Olympics 2000 riding her father’s mare, ‘Lucilla II’. Nominated by the delegation to be Jordan’s Flag bearer in the Opening ceremony HRH Princess Haya became the first female Arab Flag bearer at an Olympic Games, the youngest Arab to compete in equestrian, the first and only Arab woman to compete in equestrian, and the only Arab Royal to ever compete in an Olympic Games.
In September 2001 HRH Princess Haya qualified for World Championships in Jerez, Spain 2002. In 2001 she also terminated her training contract with Debany Clero, and Monahan Prudent, and reinstated Team Harmony. HRH Princess Haya trained alone throughout 2001 – 2002 based in France, and competed in Jerez World Championships in September 2002, once again making her the first Royal ever to compete in a World Championships Show jumping Discipline.
In the years 1995 – 2002 HRH Princess Haya competed internationally world wide at an average of 30 International Competitions a year. After the World Championship in Jerez 2002 HRH Princess Haya decided to take a year off International Sports, and to move back to Jordan. She has established permanent bases for Team Harmony that she visits to train and compete having hired another full time rider to maintain the horses. Team Harmony now has permanent winter base in Dubai, UAE: October-April, and England through the summer competing season.
HRH Princess Haya also represented Jordan in the FEI, (International Equestrian Federation.). From 1992- 1996, she was Chairperson of Middle East and Western Asian Sub Group. In this capacity she created a committee for the eradication of ‘Piroplasmosis’ in the Arab Region. A disease that affected horses in various Arab countries and prevented the creation of an effective circuit. She based eradication of the disease on the module used in Spain, prior to the Barcelona Olympics. As a result nearly all countries in the Arab Region now have a disease free status. HRH also submitted a proposal to the FEI for the “World Children Series”, which she established and has now grown into a series of International Equestrian Events for Children and is crowned by a “World Championships for Children”.
In March 2000 HRH Princess Haya became the youngest person to receive The International Golden Helm Award from the International Association of Golden Helmsmen of Tourism. After setting up a tourism campaign at the request of her Late father during her time training in Germany speaking tourists to Jordan from 2% to 12.5% in a two-year period.
HRH Princess Haya was nominated as one of the “Legendary Women” by the International Femmes Mythique Association.
HRH Princess Haya remains the first and only women in Jordan to hold a heavy and articulated vehicles license, as such was named Honorary President of the
Land Transport and Mechanical Union by Jordan’s Taxi and Truck Drivers. She is the only member of the Jordanian Royal family to be member of a union.
HRH Princess Haya’s main responsibilities lie in various charities and social organizations that she works for.
She is President of the
Queen Alia Foundation for Hearing and Speech Impaired. A Foundation she inherited from her late mother Queen Alia, is one of the leading centers for hearing and speech impaired in the Middle East. She is President and Founder of
The International Athletes Cultural Association, an organization dedicated to supporting Jordan’s International Athletes. She is President of
The Children’s Dental Care Society (Smile), an organization that provides free of charge, dental care to the least privileged parts of Jordan, by means of mobile units. She is President of the
Jordanian Woman’s Qualifying and Training Center, an organization that aspires to assist women from less privileged families to become self sufficient. She is the President of the
Haya Art’s and Cultural Center. Founded by her late mother HM Queen Alia, with a children’s theater, banking and Internet facilities for children and more. This cultural center founded the first and only planetarium, and the first ballet troupe in the Kingdom.
HRH Princess Haya is an athlete ambassador for
Right To Play. Right To Play is an athlete driven organization that is dedicated to bringing sports and recreation to children affected by war, poverty disease and illness. It develops and implements child and community development in nearly 23 countries working with leading NGO’s including UNICEF, UNHCR, GAVI, and WHO. She also works in this capacity with
The Vaccine Fund. HRH Princess Haya is also Honorary President of the
International Sports and Solidarity Association; this Italian non-profit organization raises money through sports for aid to crisis areas around the world. She is also on the Board of Advisors for
Just World International. This NGO has a primary mission to prepare and empower responsible, visionary leaders of tomorrow, while advocating socially just policy making today.