Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath: News and Picture Thread, Part 1

[Humera]

Originally Posted by shelley

To Humera and Papillion: Where are you getting these ( at least for me ) 'new' pictures from ?

I've had the pictures without the watermarks on my computer for a long time.
Im pretty sure they're from Fotomarktplatz.de

[papillon]

Originally Posted by shelley

To Humera and Papillion: Where are you getting these ( at least for me ) 'new' pictures from ?

I am a Googly girl, so mine is from a Google Images search.

[papillon]

Originally Posted by agisele

what does the prince mainly do nowadays?

He stays quite busy, working on and speaking in public about the issues near to his heart, traveling, accepting honorary degrees and awards given to him for his lifetime of service to people and the causes he supports, investing time with his family. He is still a respected and revered person within Jordan. It's a shame we don't get to hear more about him.

Others have already posted a link to his new Web site, but there is also a site within his site for P. Sarvath, his wife. It is still under construction, but here is a link:

P. Sarvath's Web site

P. Sarvath also stays busy, but she tends to keep her head down.

[shelley]

Originally Posted by papillon

Here's a rarely seen photograph of P. Hassan and P. Sarvath. The little guy between them must be their son, P. Rashid, now in his mid 20s.

I have taken another look at this photograph and it speaks volumes to me. There is a little boy who is quite literally, the centre of his parent's world, obviously sharing his conerns of the minute. I think sadly many of the problems that beset the JRF is because that none of the late King's sons,not even Prince Hamzah, can have known the security that comes from being a child of a united family unit. When you have eleven plus one children from four different wives there have got to be rivalries. When there are so many children, there must be sense of needing to having to 'queue' up for their father's attention, and always trying to be one step ahead of the others to remain 'top' child. This probably explains the excesses of behavior we sometimes hear about concerning some of the younger members of the JRF. I wish Prince Rashid well. He seems a hard working, balanced member of a seriously dysfunctional extended family.

[papillon]

Originally Posted by shelley

I have taken another look at this photograph and it speaks volumes to me. There is a little boy who is quite literally, the centre of his parent's world, obviously sharing his conerns of the minute. I think sadly many of the problems that beset the JRF is because that none of the late King's sons,not even Prince Hamzah, can have known the security that comes from being a child of a united family unit. When you have eleven plus one children from four different wives there have got to be rivalries. When there are so many children, there must be sense of needing to having to 'queue' up for their father's attention, and always trying to be one step ahead of the others to remain 'top' child. This probably explains the excesses of behavior we sometimes hear about concerning some of the younger members of the JRF. I wish Prince Rashid well. He seems a hard working, balanced member of a seriously dysfunctional extended family.

I noticed that about the picture right away, too. Whatever was going on to everyone's left was not even on the radar screen of P. Hassan and P. Sarvath in this photo. It doesn't appear the parents are trying to shush the child up so they can put on their game faces and pose for the public. The three of them are in their own universe. . .a family moment was captured. No wonder P. Hassan's and P. Sarvath's children all seem to have turned out to be so centered and stable and solid.

As an only son, I am glad P. Rashid was undoubtedly spared the whole "favorite son" appellation that KH was known to use. That could not have been helpful or kind to all his other children. Every child deserves to feel that, in the eyes of the parents, s/he's the favorite.

P.S. Another thing I liked about the photo. . .those crazy, giant 80s glasses. Got a few old photos of my own in which I'm wearing those dinner plate-size lenses.

[elizahawthorne]

Prince Hassan Opens Swedish Fair in Amman:

Photo 1:

http://207.228.233.96/nepras/2005/Mar/16/2241I.htm


Photo 2:

http://207.228.233.96/nepras/2005/Mar/16/2242I.htm



-Eliza

[Humera]

Princess Sarvath looks great

[papillon]

Originally Posted by ~*~Humera~*~

Princess Sarvath looks great

They are a cute couple, and it's wonderful to see them out and about together in Jordan.

[papillon]

This is from today's edition of The Jordan Times.

Prince Hassan Inaugurates Photography Exhibition

AMMAN (Petra) — HRH Prince Hassan on Wednesday inaugurated a travelling photography exhibition at the Swedish ambassador's residence commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dag Hammarskjold, the Swedish UN secretary general who died in a plane crash while on a peace mission in Zambia in 1961. On display at the five-day exhibition are photos of the late UN secretary general and his achievements in ending armed conflicts. Chief Chamberlain Prince Raad Ben Zeid, HRH Princess Sarvath, Princess Majda Raad and several diplomats also attended the opening ceremony.

[papillon]

Shelley, is this one of the articles you were looking for?! I'd never read it before. . .it dispels some of the persistent rumors that P. Hassan was angling to rule Iraq, and gives us P. Hassan admirers (er, okay, lovers) something to look forward to (i.e., the day his explanation of the events of early 1999 will be heard). I already knew he was extremely intelligent, but it's nice to see someone else acknowledge that publicly.

I also find it interesting that he says he is not wedded to the idea of an authoritarian monarchy, because that is in step with these times. KA has recently said he isn't wedded to it either, but his actions speak louder than words. He seems to be clinging to it, still clamping down heavily on basic freedoms within Jordan, not truly making reforms that would lead to less power for him, but more power and basic freedom for the people. I think P. Hassan would've made a much better king of Jordan than the current job holder. :(

From The Guardian

The Man Who Could Be King
He should have been crowned King of Jordan but his brother had a deathbed change of heart. Now Prince Hassan says he would happily mediate between Saddam Hussein and the world. Michael Freedland visited him at home.

Michael Freedland
Tuesday March 18, 2003

Could the man once destined to be king of Jordan end up as king of Iraq? Not if he has his way, although the idea is being touted around the Middle East. But the former Crown Prince Hassan would not reject another notion being mooted - that he should go to Baghdad as a mediator. And when he is done with that, he might be open to the idea of taking over in New York as the next secretary general of the United Nations. But the Iraqi throne? "I've lost my red carpet fever," he says, as we sit in his Amman home. His last dose of that "fever" was four years ago when his brother, King Hussein, came home to die in his capital, but only after delivering The Letter - the one sacking Hassan as crown prince, the heir to the throne. We talk about the "scars" left by that day - in his first British interview on the subject - and about the job he says he does not want. "I am not wedded to the concept of either authoritarian monarchy or totalitarian republic," he says. "To be true to myself, I am wedded to the concept of recognising 'we the people of this part of the world'. I have no positional aspirations. I think it is for the people of Iraq to decide."

He doesn't think they would decide on him. Nor - and he is certain about this - would they welcome a Bush solution, in which America would impose a General MacArthur-type government with Iraqi "advisers".

If the idea of a monarchy in Iraq were to come up - for the first time since Hassan's then 19-year-old cousin King Faisal was assassinated in 1958 - there are numerous relatives in front of him in the queue. But - and this could be regarded as a big but - his brother Hussein did at one time share the throne of a United Arab Kingdom of Jordan and Iraq. And that might, of course, be justification for him to jump that queue.

There is another reason: Hassan is regarded as perhaps the world's most intelligent royal. He regularly flits from country to country, busy in his role as head of half a dozen non-governmental organisations. But it wasn't always like that. Hussein appointed Hassan crown prince in 1966 - over his own eldest son, Abdullah, when Hassan was 19. The king saw in the prince a brilliant mind who would benefit his kingdom and, because of that, changed the law of succession in his brother's favour.

That was how it stayed for 33 years. Hassan was more than just an heir. He was the junior member of a partnership. All over Jordan, a country where the cult of personality is not unknown, there were pictures of the two men, arm in arm: on billboards, on the walls of government offices, even on dustcarts.

It was taken for granted that one day the picture would be of a King Hassan, joined perhaps by his son, Prince Rashid, until the day in January 1999 when a deathly pale Hussein, home after cancer treatment in America, sent the letter to his heir - a catalogue of alleged misdemeanours which shocked a nation that had been looking forward to Hassan's monarchy. The king accused the crown prince of "slandering" his wife and children. He said that the prince, in his dealings with the media, focused on "personality" instead of "content". He accused him of "meddling" in the army and sacking senior officers - all of which Hassan has since denied.

The man who, as a result, lost his title of crown prince and saw his nephew Abdullah become king instead, has never before spoken about this in any detail. He is reluctant to do so now. But as we sit before a blazing fire in his house - a home, he says, rather than a palace, although it is within the royal compound - the pain is obvious. "It was," he says, "basically disappointing on a human level. After all, to me, to use the Arabic expression, Hussein was of me and I was of Hussein. It was just inconceivable that there could be a parting of the ways." He would have accepted the change of succession. "What upset me was the way that letter was sent. I answered it, but my answer wasn't published, so my side of the story has not been heard."

I ask if he feels he has been the victim of dirty tricks. He says only, "Now is the time to look forward, not back - and one day my explanation will be heard. Later, I ask a palace official who is close to the prince if Hassan felt betrayed. " Of course he did," the man said. "He is a prince. But he is also a human being."

Prince El Hassan bin Talal is a 43rd generation Hashemite, a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed. He is small in stature and has lost a great deal of weight since undergoing a procedure to widen an artery to prevent a heart attack. Educated at Harrow and Oxford University where he read Semitics - he took his Hebrew finals during the 1967 six-day war, soon after being made crown prince - he speaks colloquial English (and several other languages). It was at Oxford that he met his wife. They have four children - three girls and Prince Rashid, all of whom were educated in Jordan and in England, where he has a home. For years people have said that Hassan is too much of an intellectual. His answer to that is straightforward: "Bull****. Just because you like to think you know which way is up doesn't mean you are an intellectual."

He says that he is not looking for a job but if asked to mediate between Saddam Hussein and the allies, he would accept with alacrity, although he believes that the war is already won. "I would ask, how do we win the peace?"

The trouble, he says, is that President Saddam has an "enormous ego". He met the leader in 1990 - when the prince was cut off mid-question by an aide. Nine years earlier, he had met him to discuss the Iran-Iraq war and "disagreed with him fundamentally". But he would give the mediation job a go, "even though I walk around with so many daggers in my back. I would say to Baghdad, 'Remember the importance of plurality.' I don't have an agenda. But I am prepared to go."

Hassan says that there is a need for the entire area in which he lives to think in terms of being "a region - from Israel to India - cooperating with each other. It would be a Benelux-type community, "not one of oil and steel, but of energy and water". He would like to see an organisation of people from the region - Arabs and Israelis - meeting every three months. If he were secretary general of the UN, he would hope to have several security councils, looking after both police actions and social matters. "Every cow in Europe receives a subsidy of $2.50 a day. There are people in this part of the world living on less than $1 a day. Poverty is the recruiting ground for extremism."

He laughs his thunderous roar when he tells of the American millionaire who told him he was bad for business: "I said I regarded that as an accolade." That might not bode well for his future relations with America. He agrees. "If the idea of being secretary general of the United Nations is being Mr Nice Guy, I don't think I am cut out for that."

[shelley]

Good article, Papillion. Thanks for posting. I had read this but had forgotten about it, but this is not the article I was looking for. With that one, I was particularly struck by the fact it was in a tabloid newspaper, and at the time thought, what a good idea to print something of a more serious nature in a popular newspaper. I think it was the Daily Express. What particularly struck me was remark that the King got his Crown Prince to do some of his 'dirty' work, so he could remain Mr Nice Guy and the poor prince get the flak. Probably very true but not at all fair to P. Hassan

[papillon]

Originally Posted by shelley

Good article, Papillion. Thanks for posting. I had read this but had forgotten about it, but this is not the article I was looking for.

Picky, picky, picky. :) :) OK, let me try again. If I find it, I'll post it.

With that one, I was particularly struck by the fact it was in a tabloid newspaper, and at the time thought, what a good idea to print something of a more serious nature in a popular newspaper. I think it was the Daily Express. What particularly struck me was remark that the King got his Crown Prince to do some of his 'dirty' work, so he could remain Mr Nice Guy and the poor prince get the flak. Probably very true but not at all fair to P. Hassan

Not cool. But I've seen this stunt pulled quite often in my profession, too (i.e., where the senior person gets someone else to do his crap work). Yeah, I agree with you on the , Shelley.

By the way, I think it's P. Hassan's 58th birthday tomorrow. Bon anniversaire, P. Hassan! And many more, Inshallah!

[papillon]

Originally Posted by papillon

By the way, I think it's P. Hassan's 58th birthday tomorrow. Bon anniversaire, P. Hassan! And many more, Inshallah!

From The Jordan Times



Prince Hassan Turns 58

AMMAN (JT) — HRH Prince Hassan today celebrates his 58th birthday.

Born on March 20, 1947, Prince Hassan is the youngest brother of the late King Hussein and HRH Prince Mohammad and the older brother of HRH Princess Basma.

After completing his primary education in Jordan, the Prince enrolled at Summerfields Preparatory School and then Harrow in England before going to Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a BA in oriental studies in 1967, followed later by an MA.

Prince Hassan married HRH Princess Sarvath in 1968. They have four children — Their Royal Highnesses Princess Rahma, Princess Sumaya, Princess Badiya and Prince Rashid — and five grandchildren.

Prince Hassan personally initiated and directed several Jordanian and international institutions and committees. He founded the Royal Scientific Society in 1970, the Arab Thought Forum in 1981, the Forum Humanum in 1982 (renamed the Arab Youth Forum in 1988) and the Higher Council for Science and Technology in 1987.

Prince Hassan established and directed in Jordan the Islamic Scientific Academy, the Biannual Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency, the Centre for Educational Development, the Centre on Refugees in Yarmouk University and Al al Bayt University in Mafraq.

On the international stage, Prince Hassan, who is president of the prestigious Club of Rome, continues to be involved in interfaith dialogue and inter-civilisation endeavours to build bridges of peace and cooperation. In 2004 he founded the Parliament of Cultures in Ankara, Turkey.

In 2001, His Majesty King Abdullah entrusted Prince Hassan with continuing the dialogue among followers of various cultures, sects and religions.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

[papillon]

From the Jordan Times

El Hassan Bin Talal Award Winners Announced

AMMAN (JT) — This year's first prize for the El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Academic Excellence was awarded to the Centre of Educational Excellence and Jubilee School for the project “King Hussein Science Garden.” The project is a model for learning and teaching science, especially physics, the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST) announced yesterday.

The award, created in 1995 to encourage academic, scientific and technological activities, is granted annually to winners in one of three categories: Institutions of general education, institutions of higher education, and institutions of vocational and technical education.

First prize is JD5,000.

The King Hussein Science Garden project is an interactive approach that complements the different fields of sciences, frees the students and teachers from the limitations of the classroom and closed laboratories, and presents scientific concepts and laws in a fun-filled environment that encourages inquisitiveness and exploration.

The second prize (JD3,000) was divided between “At Risk Children — Children between dropout and beggars” project of Al Jubeiha High School for Girls, Ministry of Education, and “The School That We Want” project of Al Dur Al Manthour School.

At Risk Children is a field research that examines the reasons behind the issue of school dropouts and ways to remedy the problem. The students conducting the project also created a donation fund for underprivileged students to prevent them from dropping out of school.

The second project, “The School That We Want,” comprises several educational programmes, both curriculum and extracurricular, in different fields of education that seek to achieve the Kingdom's vision for quality education in schools.

The third prize, of JD2,000, was also split, between the Islamic Scientific College for its project “Students' Curriculum for Success and Excellence,” and Baqaa High School for Girls' project “Book Binding and School Garden.”

The committee of judges for the award reviewed 20 projects submitted by 16 institutions. Eleven projects were eliminated in the first round for failing to meet the minimum qualifications of the competition, the HCST said.

Presentation of the awards will be conducted at a ceremony on April 10 at which HRH Prince Hassan, chairman of the HCST, will act as patron.

[elizahawthorne]

Prince Hassan turns 58


AMMAN (JT) — HRH Prince Hassan today celebrates his 58th birthday.
Born on March 20, 1947, Prince Hassan is the youngest brother of the late King Hussein and HRH Prince Mohammad and the older brother of HRH Princess Basma.

After completing his primary education in Jordan, the Prince enrolled at Summerfields Preparatory School and then Harrow in England before going to Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a BA in oriental studies in 1967, followed later by an MA.

Prince Hassan married HRH Princess Sarvath in 1968. They have four children — Their Royal Highnesses Princess Rahma, Princess Sumaya, Princess Badiya and Prince Rashid — and five grandchildren.

Prince Hassan personally initiated and directed several Jordanian and international institutions and committees. He founded the Royal Scientific Society in 1970, the Arab Thought Forum in 1981, the Forum Humanum in 1982 (renamed the Arab Youth Forum in 1988) and the Higher Council for Science and Technology in 1987.

Prince Hassan established and directed in Jordan the Islamic Scientific Academy, the Biannual Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency, the Centre for Educational Development, the Centre on Refugees in Yarmouk University and Al al Bayt University in Mafraq.

On the international stage, Prince Hassan, who is president of the prestigious Club of Rome, continues to be involved in interfaith dialogue and inter-civilisation endeavours to build bridges of peace and cooperation. In 2004 he founded the Parliament of Cultures in Ankara, Turkey.

In 2001, His Majesty King Abdullah entrusted Prince Hassan with continuing the dialogue among followers of various cultures, sects and religions.

Sunday, March 20, 2005


for picture and story visit The Jordan Times website....the link to this story follows:
http://jordantimes.com/sun/homenews/homenews5.htm

[elizahawthorne]

didn't know March 20 was his b-day

[shelley]

Am I the only person with my obvious P. Hassan bias, to think it odd that the Jordan Times cannot mention that he was Crown Prince for 35 years ? I wonder what the contemporary Jordanian history books will say ?

[Alexandria]

I am just starting to learn about Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath, so I really appreciate learning more about this couple from the articles and profiles posted in this thread.

I have a question about Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath's relationship with other royal households. It seems to me that this couple has developed/established numerous friendships with other royals, such as Queen Beatrix (they were invited to a predominantly wedding for Johan and Mabel) and to Felipe and Letizia's wedding even though Queen Rania was already representing Jordan. What is the relationship between Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath with these other royals since King Hussein changed the succession (if it has changed at all)? And does anyone know the reaction of various royals when they learned of the change in Jordanian succession?

It doesn't seem to me (although I guess this could be a different thread entirely) that the present reigning royals have the same close friendship they share with Prince Hassan, Princess Sarvath and Queen Noor with King Abdullah and Queen Rania and that the present King and Queen aren't invited to as many more private royal celebrations than their uncle, aunt and step-mother. Am I wrong in this perception?

[elizahawthorne]

HRH Prince Hassan's sister, HRH Princess Basma participated in Mother's Day celebrations today, here are the links to the pictures:

photo 1:
http://207.228.233.96/nepras/2005/Mar/20/2236I.htm

photo 2:
http://207.228.233.96/nepras/2005/Mar/20/2238I.htm


-Eliza

[shelley]

Anyone who follows these threads must know that I am a firm believer that Prince Hassan and his family have been much maligned in recent years. I have the advantage of both being older than many members, so have been around that bit longer, reading and watching and listening, and I have lived in Jordan and have many contacts there. Have you looked in the old threads that are now locked, concerning the succession etc. when this was widely discussed by some of us - Papillion, Alia Musallam, and some others. You can get a general idea of another point of view from these posts.

Regarding Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath's relationships with other royals. It was an open secret in Jordan that they had very close friendships with many European royals, who have remained firm friends. In many cases, they had deeper personal relationships than even the late king and his family, even Queen Noor. I remember that they would often have private invitations to Holland, Luxembourg, Britain, Germany, Spain and the Scandanavian countries, for shoots and birthdays and anniversaries and just spending time together as friends. Members of these royal families would come and stay in Jordan with the prince and princess and their family. I don't know if anyone can access Prince Edward's wedding photograph which was taken in 1999, just after the succession change, and Prince Hassan had pride of place in the photograph behind the bride and groom, between the groom's two brothers, and the Jordanian couple were the only non family members at Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations. The whole of Prince Hassan's family were invited to the Queen Elizabeth 11's "decades" party she gave for her mother, sister, daughter. I remember noticing that although King Hussein and Queen Noor were there, no other JRF members featured on theb guest list that was published. They were also the only JRF at the Aga Khan's parties for his and his daughter's weddings. I also noticed that only Prince Hassan's family were at the recent wedding of the Crown Prince of Qatar. Prince Hassan is often in Morocco, Bahrain and Qatar. So I guess the short answer to your question, is yes, I think they do have good personal relations with the foreign royals. I do not know the answer to why this is. They are both European educated, which must help as well and speak many Europeans lanaguages fluently between them . I know Princess Sarvath knew some of these families before her marriage, through her own family, so that perhaps helped as well. Anyway, I don't know why, but that is how it seems to aon interested observer. :)