King Abdullah II of Jordan marks 25 years on the Hashemite throne today.
On 7 February 1999, he ascended the Jordanian throne after the death of his father, King Hussein, who died at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer.
Abdullah was not raised as the heir to the throne. Abdullah occasionally served as regent when his father was out of the country, but that was mainly the responsibility of his uncle, Hassan. It was only two weeks before King Hussein’s death when he was named Crown Prince of Jordan. King Hussein changed his heir from his brother, Hassan, to his eldest son. Until then, Abdullah thought his life would be spent working in the military.
The new King Abdullah appeared before the Jordanian parliament just a few hours after his father’s death and swore an oath to God and the country: “I swear by Almighty God to uphold the constitution and to be faithful to the nation.”
Afterwards, the Speaker of the Senate read from the Quran and said: “God, save His Majesty… God, give him advice and take care of him.”
King Abdullah proclaimed his wife, Rania, as Queen of Jordan on 22 March 1999, making her the youngest queen in the world at that time.
King Abdullah’s investiture as monarch came a few months later on 9 June 1999.
Be the first to comment on "King Abdullah marks 25 years on the Jordanian throne"