His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal was born in Amman, on the 20th of March 1947. HRH is the youngest son of Their late Majesties King Talal and Queen Zein El Sharaf. Prince Hassan is the brother of His late Majesty King Hussein and uncle of HM King Abdullah II of Jordan. HRH served as Crown Prince from April 1965 until January 1999. As Crown Prince, Prince Hassan chaired committees overseeing Jordan’s first development plan (1973-1975) and the three subsequent development plans (1976–1980, 1981– 1985 and 1986–1990). HRH played a key role in peace negotiations between Jordan and Israel that culminated in the Peace Treaty between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the State of Israel in 1994.
A pluralist and staunch advocate for the rights of all to live in peace, security, and dignity, HRH established in Jordan, the Arab Thought Forum, the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies, the Higher Council for Science and Technology, the Royal Scientific Society, the West Asia-North Africa Institute (WANA), and the Regional Security Centre. On the international stage, many of Prince Hassan’s ideas and initiatives have been catalytic to international decisions and resolutions. Prince Hassan’s activities have included co-chairing the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (ICIHI) of which its final report was adopted as a resolution at the 42nd General Assembly of the United Nations.
He has also served as Commissioner on the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. He was Chairman of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) and continues to work on water-related issues as the Chairman of the High-Level Forum on Blue Peace in the Middle East. Currently, Prince Hassan is an honorary co-chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council (WRMC), where HRH is committed to the active implementation of the Council’s recommendations as proposed in its Call to Action particularly those focused on responsibility sharing and accountability. HRH has also supported WRMC research projects looking at longer-term alternatives for hosting Syrian refugees as well as studies looking into how COVID-19 has impacted refugee communities in Jordan.
Prince Hassan has had long and active engagements with environmental organisations such as the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) Network and, in cooperation with the British Royal Geographical Society, the Jordan-based Badia Research and Development Program. As the Lead Convenor of Jordan’s Zero Hunger Strategic Review, HRH is currently involved in the development of a comprehensive and strategic food security country-wide policy and strategy that addresses the many challenges of food security from water, energy, climate change, and structural economic and market factors to social dynamics and poverty.
A pioneer of interfaith dialogue and understanding, Prince Hassan initiated and hosted ongoing consultations with the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at Chambesy, Switzerland and the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue at the Vatican. Prince Hassan is co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Inter-religious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue (FIIRD). Now President Emeritus, Prince Hassan was Moderator of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) from 1999- 2006. Prince Hassan is involved in the active promotion of sports both within Jordan and beyond.
As President of the Jordanian federations for martial arts, polo and squash, HRH has guided the development of the three sports to competitive levels on the world stage. HRH is himself an 8th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and captain of the Royal Jordanian Polo Team. A qualified helicopter pilot, parachutist and scuba diver. HRH Prince Hassan is the author of several books, articles and papers, which include A Study on Jerusalem, Search for Peace: The Politics of the Middle Ground in the Arab East, Palestinian Self-Determination: A Study of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and, in collaboration with novelist and journalist Alain Elkann, To be a Muslim: Islam, Peace and Democracy.
His Royal Highness married Her Royal Highness Princess Sarvath in 1968. Their Royal Highnesses have been blessed with four children, Princesses Rahma, Sumaya, and Badiya and Prince Rashid, and nine grandchildren.
