Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan

Crown Prince of Jordan (born 1994)

Hussein bin Abdullah (الحسين بن عبد الله, Al Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh; born 28 June 1994) is Crown Prince of Jordan as the eldest son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is considered to be 42nd generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hussein is a Captain in the Jordanian Armed Forces, started his education in Jordan and in 2016 he graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in International History. Since reaching the age of majority in 2012, Hussein served as a regent on several occasions and has accompanied his father on a number of local and international visits. Hussein is in charge of the Crown Prince Foundation, which is responsible for a technical university and a number of scientific and humanitarian initiatives. In 2015, at the age of 20, Hussein became the youngest person to chair a UN Security Council session. After graduating from Sandhurst in 2017, he made a global debut when he addressed the UN General Assembly in September of that year.

Hussein was born on 28 June 1994 at King Hussein Medical Center in Amman to the then Prince Abdullah and Princess Rania. Hussein is the namesake of his grandfather, King Hussein. Hussein claims descent in the male line from Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and Ali, the fourth caliph. The Hashemites ruled Mecca for over 700 years until its 1925 conquest by the House of Saud, and have ruled Jordan since 1921. The Hashemites are the oldest ruling dynasty in the Muslim world, and are the second oldest ruling dynasty in the world, after the Imperial House of Japan. His paternal grandmother is an English convert to Islam, and his mother is of Palestinian descent. Hussein is the eldest child of King Abdullah and Queen Rania. His paternal grandfather was the then reigning King Hussein and his grandmother is the English born Princess Muna, who was his second wife. He has three siblings: Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem.

Abdullah was not expected to succeed to the throne despite being King Hussein's eldest son; the King had appointed his younger brother, Abdullah's uncle, Prince Hassan, as heir designate in 1965. On 28 November 2004, King Abdullah removed Hamzah from his title as crown prince.

Unlike the King's, the Crown Prince's role is mostly ceremonial under the Constitution, and the title is not associated with any political post. Hussein performed his first official engagement in June 2010, when he represented his father at the celebrations of the anniversary of the Arab Revolt and the Armed Forces Day. Hussein has served his father on both official and military missions, The foundation established the Haqiq initiative, which aims to encourage youth for volunteerism; a NASA internship program; MASAR initiative to encourage space technology innovation; and the Hearing Without Borders initiative that funds cochlear implants for Jordanians with impaired hearing. The cubesat project was named after the late King Hussein's amateur radio callsign. In 2013, Hussein participated in a training session with the members of the Jordanian special forces elite 71st Counter Terrorism Battalion. On 14 July 2014, Hussein visited the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman where injured Palestinians who fled Gaza were receiving medical treatment. On 23 April 2015, the then 20 year old Prince Hussein became the youngest person ever to chair a UN Security Council session. The couple met via a mutual friend. The engagement ceremony was held at the home of Al Saif's father in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She attended the Syracuse University School of Architecture. On 10 April 2024, the Royal Hashemite Court announced that Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa are expecting their first baby in the summer.

Bahrain: Member 1st class of the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance (5 February 2019). Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2 March 2020). Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (15 November 2022).