Queen Noor's relationship with her in-laws & (step) kids

[mrsbugman]

Queen Rania, King Abdullah and Queen Noor

I asked a question a while back, and I don't know if it was answered or not. So I decided to ask it again. It is in regards to the relations ship with the present King and Queen, and Queen Noor. My impression, when is strickly from the American press, is that they don't get along in private. But I was wondering in public, when the present King and Queen are in America is Queen Noor out of the country? Or does she hold an official dinner for them, or does she hold an informal lunch. Or do they mutually ignore each other?

 

[Little_star]

The King and Queen are usually in the US for official business so it is unlikely that they will have the time to meet up. Although they may do so privately. Rania has said that she emails Noor on a regular basis so they are in touch.

 

[Jae143]

I know there was some disappointment when Prince Hamzeh was removed as Crown Prince years ago, but am wondering, does Rania and Abdullah stay in contact with Queen Noor at all? I know they avoid public events together, but how can they avoid each other completely? Can someone tell me the nature of their relationship?

 

[yamamah]

There is no warmth there. They all do their part for the camera when they have to but essentially, it was made clear to Noor that she wasn't welcome for any length of time in Jordan and Abdullah tried to sue Noor for money after Hussein's death. It is common knowledge in Jordan. Noor was and is well regarded in Jordan. Much more than the current queen. The difference is that Noor listened to the people. When she was first queen, Noor dressed in Valentino and Dior like Alia had done before her as King Hussein liked his wives to dress well. She also wore lots of expensive jewellery but following riots in Ma'an where she was accused of extravagance, she then toned down her look to kaftans, thoubs and safari type suits with very simple Turkish evil eye type jewellery and never anything ostentatious. Queen Noor possibly was very displeased when the Jerash festival was hijacked, renamed and given over to Rania after years of Noor's hard work and initiative in starting it and building it up to be a premier festival n the Arab world and internationally but reduced to an ill attended fiasco under the new management. Noor's school that she set up focuses on academically gifted kids and not just rich kids like Rania's does. Noor did a great job for Jordan. She was treated badly in her widowhood though.

 

[Veram98]

I know there was some disappointment when Prince Hamzeh was removed as Crown Prince years ago, but am wondering, does Rania and Abdullah stay in contact with Queen Noor at all? I know they avoid public events together, but how can they avoid each other completely? Can someone tell me the nature of their relationship?

IMO there is not much love left between QNoor and (most of) her stepchildren (I remember for example some remarks by PHaya or PAli suggesting this assumption). I doubt that this is QRania's fault

 

[yamamah]

Who suggested it was? But it was also a clear signal from Abdullah when he took the throne that the old way was dead and it was himself, Rania and at the time, Hamzah who were 'the new team' and Abdullah had no intention of honouring his promise to his dying father about Hamzah. He let him stay in place long enough to seem circumspect then stripped him of his title. Rania is dependent upon Abdullah for position and everything she has so she will always follow Abdullah's lead.

 

[Duchessmary]

Interesting. I've always wondered about all of the above. Thanks for posting.

 

[Fadel Abdullah]

Who suggested it was? But it was also a clear signal from Abdullah when he took the throne that the old way was dead and it was himself, Rania and at the time, Hamzah who were 'the new team' and Abdullah had no intention of honouring his promise to his dying father about Hamzah. He let him stay in place long enough to seem circumspect then stripped him of his title. Rania is dependent upon Abdullah for position and everything she has so she will always follow Abdullah's lead.

I am not sure where you got the idea that HM King Abdullah promised his dying father about making and keeping Prince Hamzah as Crown Prince. It is natural that the title should be with the king's oldest male child. HM King Hussein changed Crown Prince before his death from Prince Hassan to his oldest son. Why should people find King Abdullah's decision any different?

 

[Madame Royale]

She was treated badly in her widowhood though.

I quite agree.

An almost exiled existance for the Dowager Queen which is very unfortunate.

Noor exuded a natural warmth that Rania lacks, imo. For Rania, its all lights, camera, action and seems to be invested as much into her own celebrity as she is in 'making a difference'.

 

[mrsbugman]

It was stated earlier that King Abdullah had tried to sue Queen Noor. What was his reason?

 

[Rossina]

It was stated earlier that King Abdullah had tried to sue Queen Noor. What was his reason?

Where, in the US? Why?

 

[mrsbugman]

In post #124. I was just going by that post. I had not heard that before, and was wondering why also.

 

[shrifia]

this is the first time I heard the problems with the king and the Queen Noor was that bad,so bad that Abdullah decide to sue her!!!
can you plz inform us more about that.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

I quite agree.

An almost exiled existance for the Dowager Queen which is very unfortunate.

Noor exuded a natural warmth that Rania lacks, imo. For Rania, its all lights, camera, action and seems to be invested as much into her own celebrity as she is in 'making a difference'.

Excellent post, Madame Royale! Some people live only for money and power, so unfortunate...

 

[Humera]

The Royal Family of Jordan has always hobnobbed with celebrities, including the late King Hussein, Princess Muna etc. Queen Noor is no different. In fact she has gone a step further, she attends film festivals, premieres, award shows (and has even hosted them) regularly. She's as at home among celebrities as Queen Rania if not more. Harrison Ford, who met Noor and her kids while filming Indiana Jones in Jordan is an old friend of hers (he appeared in her A&E bio). So are Meg Ryan, Bono and Angelina Jolie. She's far more comfortable socializing with high society in the States rather than in Jordan where she's been the target of gossip in the past.

 

[Tessa]

I think that it isn't fair to compare queen Noor appearances with Ranias after 1999. Since then, she has the title but not the same functions. Rania also have enough celebrity "friends", they share Bono. And Noor lives in USA.

There's something that surprises me about her relationships with her stepchildren. She seems to get along with Abir, but not with Haya and Ali, and the same applies to prince Faisal and king Abdullah.

 

[Veram98]

I think that it isn't fair to compare queen Noor appearances with Ranias after 1999. Since then, she has the title but not the same functions. Rania also have enough celebrity "friends", they share Bono. And Noor lives in USA.

There's something that surprises me about her relationships with her stepchildren. She seems to get along with Abir, but not with Haya and Ali, and the same applies to prince Faisal and king Abdullah.

To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in 1998, KHussein and QNoor hosted a bash at Buckhurst (in the UK). Among the 400 or so guests, who included also some royals like Prince Charles, were a lot of their celebrity "friends". Harrison Ford was only one of them.
I remember this very well, because the Jordanian part of my family was very upset then (for them it was was of course QNoor's fault) - because they celebrated in the UK, with celebrities as guests (and because they were serving Chinese instead of Jordanian food).

 

[Humera]

She seems to get along with Abir, but not with Haya and Ali, and the same applies to prince Faisal and king Abdullah.

I don't think so. There are many pictures that show warmth between Noor and Feisal (and some of Noor and Princess Alia, Feisal's ex-wife), even hugging each other excitedly during a sporting event. We can never really be sure of their personal relationships as only they are privy to the details.
It is true that she has had problems with Ali and Haya in the past. Once her own children were born, Queen Alia's seemed to fade in the background. Granted Ali and Haya can be seen in some family photos but not at family vacations that King Hussein and Queen Noor took. In contrast, Haya speaks very warmly of Princess Muna as a mother figure.

 

[Zonk]

Since Haya is "stepmother" in a sense to her husbands kids...I wonder if she looks at her relationship with Noor in a different way. Noor was fairly young when she married the King, and she probably made some mistakes in relation to how she handled her relations with them. And in regards to Alia's children fading into the past, the King should have shared some responsiblity for that IMO. I mean, I don't have any step or half siblings, and I am the oldest and of course, I faded in the background (to a degree) when my parents had my sisters. Perhaps faded isn't the right word...when my sisters were young and couldn't take care of themselves, of course they were my parents priority. That's life.

I wonder if Haya looks back and sees that maybe Noor wasn't that bad after all. Its a hard thing to marry into an established family. Noor wouldn't be the first to make mistakes in regards to her step children. Some manage to rise above it or work it out and establish some type of relationship. Other of course, never become friends so to speak.

 

[Tessa]

To celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in 1998, KHussein and QNoor hosted a bash at Buckhurst (in the UK). Among the 400 or so guests, who included also some royals like Prince Charles, were a lot of their celebrity "friends". Harrison Ford was only one of them.
I remember this very well, because the Jordanian part of my family was very upset then (for them it was was of course QNoor's fault) - because they celebrated in the UK, with celebrities as guests (and because they were serving Chinese instead of Jordanian food).

Thanks for the info Veram. But I haven't said that Noor didn't relate with celebrities before 1999.. My replay comes for the post of Humera, the most part of acts and relationships that she has said, are after the death of king Hussein.


Humera, I wanted to say that the same goes for Feisal respect to Abir, And Abdullah respect to Haya and Ali. The problem is my terrible english

 

[Veram98]

Thanks for the info Veram. But I haven't said that Noor didn't relate with celebrities before 1999.. My replay comes for the post of Humera, the most part of acts and relationships that she has said, are after the death of king Hussein.


Humera, I wanted to say that the same goes for Feisal respect to Abir, And Abdullah respect to Haya and Ali. The problem is my terrible english

You are welcome. Your English is o.k. I had no problems to unterstand what you wanted to say. IMO QNoor's relationship with Abir and Feisal is fine but her other step-kids do no like her. We all do not know what happened behind closed doors, we only can/could see that Noor has/had an inharmonious relationship to most of her step-children, to her late mother-in-law, her brother-in-law and some other members of her late husband's family. Maybe she was not prepared by her American upbringing to deal with an extended Arab family.

 

[Humera]

the King should have shared some responsiblity for that IMO

I agree. The King shares the responsibility too. He re-married relatively soon after Queen Alia's death and Ali and Haya were very young at the time and eventually left mostly to their grandmother's care.

Humera, I wanted to say that the same goes for Feisal respect to Abir, And Abdullah respect to Haya and Ali. The problem is my terrible english

Sorry, I misunderstood. Your english is fine.

Maybe she was not prepared by her American upbringing to deal with an extended Arab family.

That's a good point. I know a couple of people who come from a traditional background where extended families are the norm but because they grew up in the West, they can't handle all the relatives back home. For a woman who has grown up in Western society where kids leave home and live on their own fairly young/as soon as they become adults and are used to living independent and private lives, a traditional family setting can be a bit of a shock. But then I also know some people (myself included) who are perfectly capable of accepting and adjusting to extended family.
I still get the feeling that Queen Noor is more at ease in the US. She has hinted as much in some interviews like the one where she said that in America she can walk down the street wearing no make-up and not worry about people recognizing her. She is also freer there to pursue relationships with men which would be frowned up in Jordan. It kind of reminds me of Princess Firyal who now lives primarily in the West and has had male companions for years. She hasn't remarried despite her divorce from Prince Muhammad, still calls herself Princess of Jordan and enjoys all the prestige of her title. She has an independent life and doesn't have to worry about protocol.

 

[COUNTESS]

I think you are right. She is very much still American. I have seen her on many different shows. She is very respectful of her position and her late husband's, but she has very western ideas. I think she is wonderful and could bridge a gap if people would let her.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

I agree, Countess. Veram98 has a good point as well. IMO, Q.Noor wasn't prepared by her western upbringing to deal with such spoiled children either. If I remember rightly, this is how she had once described Haya and Ali.

 

[Veram98]

I agree, Countess. Veram98 has a good point as well. IMO, Q.Noor wasn't prepared by her western upbringing to deal with such spoiled children either. If I remember rightly, this is how she had once described Haya and Ali.

Noor, this comment on Ali and Haya is a bit unfair. They were just 2 resp. 4 yours old when QNoor became their new "mother" - after they had lost their own mother as littles babies.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

Sure, but they stayed together all the way until they turned 18-19 I suppose. Perhaps they were just too naughty or didn't behave well and gave QN a hard time. She knows best after all!

 

[Veram98]

Sure, but they stayed together all the way until they turned 18-19 I suppose. Perhaps they were just too naughty or didn't behave well and gave QN a hard time. She knows best after all!

They would have needed a mother, and I think (sorry, maybe I am wrong, but that's my opinion), QNoor neglected a bit this part of her numerous responsibilities she took over with her mariage to a man who was not only a king but the father of several motherless little kids (I do not speak about Dina's or Muna's children, they had their own mothers).

 

[NoorMeansLight]

You're right. But I understand her as she had 4 children of her own. Perhaps we shouldn't judge at all. Who would be fair in such an awkward situation?

 

[Veram98]

You're right. But I understand her as she had 4 children of her own. Perhaps we shouldn't judge at all. Who would be fair in such an awkward situation?

I agree, it was certainly not easy - neither for her nor for her step-children. And the situation became certainly later on even more awkward for everybody - when not only rivalry or jealousy among siblings played a role any more (like in many blended families), but the dispute was now also about power, the succession to a throne (you should for example not forget that PAli had been for a while the most probable heir to the throne - after PHassan) and maybe even money.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

Money, oh you bet, Veram. I have heard and read many stories concerning their finances and the way K.Hussein's fortune was shared. Not a pleasant situation at all, if you add the other things you just described.