Crown Prince Hamzah relieved of his title: November 28, 2004

[Amoula]

Crown Prince Returns Home


Amman, Nov. 26 (Petra) -- HRH Crown Prince Hamzeh Ben Al Hussein
returned back to Amman coming from the US, where he resumes his
higher study, for a several-day vacation.

[Rhaegar]

higher study? i thought he's still doing his bachelor's degree?
maybe they mean tertiary education as higher studies...

[houri]

Today I hear on the Al jazeera TV that the king Abdallah excuse his brother Hamzah from his position so he not the crown prince any more :(

[liv]

And who is the Crown Prince now?

[ally_cooper]

This is so sad!! Here is the article of Washington times

Jordan's king dismisses his crown prince
Amman, Jordan, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II Sunday removed his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, as crown prince and heir to the Hashemite throne.
The unexpected and brief royal court announcement was aired on state-owned Jordan Television, saying only the monarch had decreed the removal of Prince Hamzah.

There was no mention of a replacement, but analysts expected Abdullah to name his 10-year-old eldest son, Prince Hussein, as heir to the throne.

Sources close to the royal palace also speculated the king would name one of his other brothers as a provisional crown prince due to his son's age.

The announcement came as a surprise even to government officials who said they did not expect the king to remove Hamzah, the son of the late King Hussein and American-born Queen Noor.

King Hussein himself, dying of cancer, had replaced his brother, Prince Hassan, with his eldest son, Abdullah, as heir only three weeks before he died in February 1999.

As his dying wish, Hussein reportedly asked Abdullah to name the 24-year-old Hamzah as crown prince.

However, Hamzah had remained out of the limelight since Abdullah assumed the throne, and only appeared on television during his wedding to one of Jordan's princesses last year.

Legislative sources said the decree would have to be endorsed by the lower and upper houses of parliament, but they said the king has the constitutional right to name his son as heir.

The constitution stipulates Jordan is an inherited monarchy to be passed on from father to son.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-break...5141-8087r.htm

I knew this day was coming. I bet you any money that Q. Rania is having another boy! I never thought it would come so soon though. Good luck P. Hamzah, we knew this was going to happen!


Jordan crown prince loses title

Crown Prince Hamzah was married last year

King Abdullah of Jordan has stripped his half-brother and heir apparent of his title as crown prince.

In a message read on state television on Sunday, King Abdullah said the move was to allow Crown Prince Hamzah, 24, "to have more freedom of movement".

The king said the title had prevented him from giving Prince Hamzah "certain responsibilities".

Crown Prince Hamzah was a favourite of the late King Hussein. He wed Princess Noor privately last year.

Soldier

King Abdullah described Hamzah as a "sincere soldier of this nation".

The king said the title was an "honorary position, which does not give authority for its holder nor does it give him any responsibility".

"That had prevented me from assigning you certain responsibilities."

He said this would make it possible for Prince Hamzah "to take up other posts, something which was not possible as crown prince".

The king also said the crown prince title would be shelved for the time being. A graduate of the UK's Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Prince Hamzah is a captain in the Jordanian armed forces. King Abdullah had named him crown prince hours after their father died of cancer in 1999.

Here's the official letter to P. Hamzah from KA as quoted by Petra:

King's message to Prince Hamzah</FONT></STRONG>

Pet1773 4 0652


King's message to Prince Hamzah
Amman/ Nov. 28/ (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
has sent a message to HRH Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein.
Following is the full text of the message:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Your Royal Highness My Dear Brother Prince Hamzah Bin
Al Hussein, May God keep you,

I am pleased to extend to you my very best greetings and most
sincere wishes for continued health, happiness and success, and to
express my deepest affection and highest esteem to you as a brother,
a Hashemite Prince and a sincere Jordanian soldier, keen to
selflessly perform the call of duty. I have known these traits in
you since you started your journey giving to our beloved country.
I chose you personally five years ago from amongst all my
brothers, including those who are older than you, to be Crown Prince
and to be my support whenever necessary. I have been eager since I
came to the throne of our beloved Jordan to reflect the true
meaning of the position of Crown Prince as it is stated in the
Constitution. This position is an honorary one that does not entail
any authority or any responsibility.

Our beloved father King Hussein, may God rest His Soul, had
reaffirmed to us before he passed away the importance of adhering to
the honorary concept of the position of Crown Prince and we have
abided by that throughout the past five years. Your holding this
symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our
trusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully
qualified to undertake.

And because the country needs the efforts of each and every one
of us to work with utmost energy and capability especially during
these difficult circumstances which the region and our beloved
Jordan are going through, I have decided to free you from the
constraints of the position of Crown Prince in order to give you the
freedom to work and undertake any mission or responsibility I
entrust you with, along side with all our brothers, the sons of Al
Hussein, and other members of the Hashemite Family. I trust that
you will be a great help and support to me and to your brothers in
the service of our beloved country and our one big Jordanian Family.

As for the position of Crown Prince, I will continue, guided by the
Constitution and the good of our beloved Jordan and our noble
Hashemite message, to give it my sincere attention.

I ask God to keep you and save you and give you success in the
service of our dear country.

Your Brother
Abdullah Bin Al Hussein


Injadat/ Petra






282120 Local NOV 2004


[malena]

King Abdullah II today stripped his half-brother, Prince Hamzeh al-Hussein, of the title of crown prince, in a letter which was read out on Jordanian television.
The king wrote in the letter that the surprise decision was taken to allow his brother to be 'more free to take up other posts, something which was not possible as crown prince'.
'I chose you five years ago to be crown prince, rather than my other brothers who are older than you,' said King Abdullah.
He stressed that the post was honorary rather than a position of power.
'I realise that this post is limiting your freedom,' said the kingdom in the letter to 24-year-old Prince Hamzeh, son of the late King Hussein and his fourth wife, Queen Nour, an American.

[Gabriella]

Thanks for passing along the news houri and for passing along the article ally_cooper. I saw that one coming, but I didn't expect it to happen for many more years as Hussein is only 10 years old. WOW! I wonder who they will name as the Crown Prince for now. If I had to guess I would say Ali.

[houri]

many thanks ally cooper for the article

and I keep asking my self why the king didn't declare the New crown prince in the same time .
any way what happened today is some thing every one expected but in the future maybe after 10 years but not now !!!

[madonna23]

wow!!!!!!!! i knew this would happen but not so soon!

I'm not surprised. I bet you it's because Q. Rania is having another son. KA wants to ensure that the center of power remains with them, and does not pass to his brother. I was surprised that P. Hamzah would rush so far home for just a "few days vacation". You travel 5,000 miles to rest for a couple of weeks of vacation, not a few days. He knew it was coming, I think he was summoned home.

If being CP is seriously hindering his education and "freedom of movement" then he must be doing poorly in his studies. I hope that now that he is "free" he can complete his education without interruption.

I still don't buy the explanation KA gave.

Here's the kiss-off letter from KA to P Hamzah:

King's message to Prince Hamzah</FONT></STRONG>

Pet1773 4 0652


King's message to Prince Hamzah
Amman/ Nov. 28/ (Petra)-- His Majesty King Abdullah II
has sent a message to HRH Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein.
Following is the full text of the message:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Your Royal Highness My Dear Brother Prince Hamzah Bin
Al Hussein, May God keep you,

I am pleased to extend to you my very best greetings and most
sincere wishes for continued health, happiness and success, and to
express my deepest affection and highest esteem to you as a brother,
a Hashemite Prince and a sincere Jordanian soldier, keen to
selflessly perform the call of duty. I have known these traits in
you since you started your journey giving to our beloved country.
I chose you personally five years ago from amongst all my
brothers, including those who are older than you, to be Crown Prince
and to be my support whenever necessary. I have been eager since I
came to the throne of our beloved Jordan to reflect the true
meaning of the position of Crown Prince as it is stated in the
Constitution. This position is an honorary one that does not entail
any authority or any responsibility.

Our beloved father King Hussein, may God rest His Soul, had
reaffirmed to us before he passed away the importance of adhering to
the honorary concept of the position of Crown Prince and we have
abided by that throughout the past five years. Your holding this
symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our
trusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully
qualified to undertake.

And because the country needs the efforts of each and every one
of us to work with utmost energy and capability especially during
these difficult circumstances which the region and our beloved
Jordan are going through, I have decided to free you from the
constraints of the position of Crown Prince in order to give you the
freedom to work and undertake any mission or responsibility I
entrust you with, along side with all our brothers, the sons of Al
Hussein, and other members of the Hashemite Family. I trust that
you will be a great help and support to me and to your brothers in
the service of our beloved country and our one big Jordanian Family.

As for the position of Crown Prince, I will continue, guided by the
Constitution and the good of our beloved Jordan and our noble
Hashemite message, to give it my sincere attention.

I ask God to keep you and save you and give you success in the
service of our dear country.

Your Brother
Abdullah Bin Al Hussein


Injadat/ Petra






282120 Local NOV 2004


[madonna23]

you're right bluetortuga. i bet rania is having a son. of course, king abdullah's explanation isn't true. the title of crown prince is honorary?? then i guess the title of king is honorary as well!

[sol_anglada]

Do you think that HM Queen Noor knew this deciwsion? Do you think that it means that Queen Noor practically has cut her relation with Jordan?
Sol

Originally Posted by sol_anglada

Do you think that HM Queen Noor knew this deciwsion? Do you think that it means that Queen Noor practically has cut her relation with Jordan?
Sol

I think Q Noor was afactor in this decision. Let's face it. KA and family do not like her. They have been trying to get rid of her for some time now. I think P Hamzah, Hashim, Iman and Raiyah can make good lives for themselves. P. Hamzah was nothing more than a puppet. I think P. Al-Hussein will be named as Crown Prince in time, with P. Faisal serving as Regent in the King's absence. Morocco has the same arrangement, and their crown prince is only 18 months old.

[madonna23]

Do you think the decision was right? Do you think the timing was right? Frankly, I'm appalled. Just a few years ago Abdullah told a reporter that he and Hamzah would not fall into the Hussein-Hassan trap. They both seemed as if they truly wanted to make the relationship work. I'm so disappointed. I think Hamzah would have made a wonderful king, better than Abdullah at least.

I doubt that either Hamzah or Noor knew about the decision until the very last second. Poor things.

[houri]

Originally Posted by bluetortuga

I'm not surprised. I bet you it's because Q. Rania is having another son. KA wants to ensure that the center of power remains with them, and does not pass to his brother. I was surprised that P. Hamzah would rush so far home for just a "few days vacation". You travel 5,000 miles to rest for a couple of weeks of vacation, not a few days. He knew it was coming, I think he was summoned home.

If being CP is seriously hindering his education and "freedom of movement" then he must be doing poorly in his studies. I hope that now that he is "free" he can complete his education without interruption.

I still don't buy the explanation KA gave.

I agree with you
when I heard his letter on TV I didn't found good reason for his decision especially because his son very young and some analysers said the king showed in his 5 years as a king that he make a lot of good decisions and maybe he have his reason in this case !!

This was the low-blow that KA has wanted to deal Q. Noor and family for the last 5 years. They felt deprived when KH married her. I'm sure deep in her heart, P. Muna has wanted to see her son become King, and the throne pass through her line. And according to the Constitution, that is the way it should be. I don't think I would have liked to see Hamzah reach his fifties like P. Hassan, and then be stripped of the title of CP. That would have been more cruel. At least this blow came early. P. Hamzah can now move on with the rest of his life, instead of treading on eggshells waiting for his brother to fire him.

Get ready for Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah, which according to the Constitution, is legal. I felt that P. Al-Hussein would be named CP sooner than later once I saw him appearing more often in public with his father.

I wondering how Q. Noor is reacting to all this. I'm sure she'll be on Larry King Live within the next couple of weeks.