Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah (Arabic: الحسين بن عبد الله الثاني ‎‎; born 28 June 1994) is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Jordan and the eldest child of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. He replaced his half-uncle, Prince Hamzah, as heir apparent in 2004, and was granted the title of crown prince in 2009. Since reaching the age of majority in 2012, Hussein has functioned as regent on several occasions.

Born in Amman on 28 June 1994 to then Prince Abdullah and Princess Rania, Prince Hussein is a member of the Hashemite family, and claimed to be the 42nd-generation descendant of Islamic prophet Muhammad, tracing his descent from the Prophet's daughter Fatimah and her husband Ali. Hussein was named after his paternal grandfather, the then-reigning king Hussein. His paternal grandmother is the English-born Princess Muna. Hussein's father was not expected to succeed to the throne despite being King Hussein's eldest son, as the King had appointed his younger brother Hassan as heir designate in 1965. Shortly before his death on 7 February 1999, the King replaced Hassan with Abdullah. In accordance with his father's wishes, King Abdullah II named his younger half-brother, Prince Hamzah, as heir designate on his accession.

Hussein has three younger siblings. His sisters are Princess Iman and Princess Salma, while his youngest sibling is Prince Hashem.

On 28 November 2004, King Abdullah II stripped Crown Prince Hamzah of his title and status as heir-apparent. Though the title of crown prince was left vacant, the Constitution of Jordan provides for agnatic primogeniture, meaning that the monarch's eldest son is automatically first in the line of succession to the Jordanian throne unless decreed otherwise. He thus became heir apparent as soon as his half-uncle lost the status, and analysts widely expected the King to bestow the formal title on Hussein. The title was conferred on 2 July 2009, when a royal decree was issued naming Hussein as crown prince effective immediately.

The Crown Prince and the King during a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry

He received primary and preparatory education at the International School of Choueifat in Amman and the International Academy Amman. In 2007, Crown Prince Hussein enrolled at King's Academy in Madaba, which was founded by his father and opened just in time for Hussein to join the first intake. He graduated from the academy in 2012. He finished studying at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 2016, majoring in international history.

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.

The Crown Prince holds the rank of first lieutenant in the Jordanian Armed Forces. He has accompanied his father on both official and military missions. Hussein has also served several times as regent during the King's absence from the country, having been sworn in on 21 April 2012. The ceremony was attended by members of the Cabinet and by his uncle, Prince Feisal. The Crown Prince then met with the then prime minister Awn Khasawneh accompanied by his uncle.

The Crown Prince is involved in youth empowerment efforts, and as part of this initiative he started the “Haqeq” (achieve) activity, targeting school-age children.

In addition, Prince Hussein met Pope Benedict XVI in May 2009, and Pope Francis in May 2014 at their residential palace. He is fluent in the Arabic language, English and conversational French.

In 2013, he participated in a training session with the members of the Jordanian special forces highly skilled 71st Counter Terrorism Battalion.

On 14 July 2014, Prince Hussein visited the Abdullah Medical Centre in Amman where some injured Palestinians who fled Gaza were being held for medical treatment and humanitarian aid.

On 23 April 2015, the then 20-year-old Prince Hussein became the youngest person ever to chair a UN Security Council meeting. During the meeting, the prince oversaw a debate on how to prevent youth from joining extremist groups.

Crown Prince Hussein's pastimes include reading and sports, most of all football. The Crown Prince is also interested in motorcycles.