Amman: The Jordanian Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein announced on Sunday that he relinquished the title of prince.
The 42-year-old posted the announcement on his official Twitter account, stating that what he had witnessed in recent years made it difficult for him to endorse policies pursued by Jordan’s institutions.
“I have come to the conclusion that my personal convictions which my father instilled in me, and which I tried hard in my life to adhere to, are not in line with the approaches, trends and modern methods of our institutions,” reads a signed statement shared by Hamzah on Sunday.
“From the matter of honesty to God and conscience, I see nothing but to transcend and abandon the title of prince. I had the great honour of serving my beloved country and my dear people over the years of my life,” the statement adds.
He further added, “I will remain as I have always been and as long as I live, loyal to our beloved Jordan.”
On April 4, 2021, the Jordanian authorities accused Prince Hamzah and other people of trying to destabilise the country’s security and mobilize citizens against the state, Jordan News Agency reported.
It is reported, at that time, the authorities arrested 16 people, along with the former head of the Jordanian royal court chief Bassem Awadallah and an ex-envoy to Saudi Arabia, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, to 15 years in prison after they were found guilty of involvement in the plot and Prince Hamzah was placed under house arrest.
On March 6, 2022, the King of Jordan, King Abdullah II, received a letter of apology from his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, in the context of what is known as the case of “sedition” and targeting Jordan’s security.
In the letter, Hamzah said that he took responsibility for his wrongdoings.
“I apologize to our Jordanian people and our family (Hashemite) for all these mistakes, which will not be repeated,” he added.
Hamzah bin Hussein is the son of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor.
King Abdullah II named Prince Hamzah crown prince in 1999 at the request of his late father when his son Prince Hussein bin Abdullah was five, but he removed him from the position on November 28, 2004, and on July 2, 2009, named his son Hussein bin Abdullah as crown prince.
