| Muna al-Hussein | |
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| Tenure | 25 May 1961 – 21 December 1971 |
| Spouse | Hussein of Jordan |
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| Abdullah II of Jordan Prince Faisal Princess Aisha Princess Zein |
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| House | Hashemite |
| Father | Walter Percy Gardiner |
| Mother | Doris Elizabeth |
| Born | 25 April 1941 Chelmondiston, Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Religion | Sunni Muslim |
Princess Muna al-Hussein (born Antoinette Avril Gardiner in Chelmondiston, near Ipswich, Suffolk, England, on 25 April 1941) was the second wife of King Hussein, the late King of Jordan and is the mother of the current King of Jordan, King Abdullah II of Jordan. She was named Muna al-Hussein after she married. She was never named queen though she was wife of a king, therefore it would be inappropriate to title her as a queen mother.
Gardiner went to the BFES (British Families Education Services) Comprehensive Secondary School, Bourne School, Kuala Lumpur. The school closed when British forces withdrew from Malaya.
An award-winning field hockey player, former typist and daughter of a British army officer turned innkeeper, then Lt. Col. Walter Percy Gardiner, Gardiner met the King of Jordan while working as a secretarial assistant on the film set of Lawrence of Arabia. The King had allowed troops to work as extras on this film and would occasionally visit to see how things were progressing.
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Marriage and children
Antoinette Gardiner married King Hussein in Amman, Jordan, on 25 May 1961. She converted to Islam and was renamed Muna al-Hussein upon marriage,[1] and was given the title Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein on the birth of her first son on 30 January 1962. Together they had four children:
- Abdullah (born 1962; now King Abdullah II of Jordan)
- Faisal (born 1963) married to Alia Tabbaa.[citation needed] They have a son, Omar, and three daughters: Ayah, Aisha and Sara.
- Aisha (born 1968, twin of Princess Zein) married to Zeid Juma.[citation needed] They have a son, Aoun, and a daughter, Muna.
- Zein (born 1968, twin of Princess Aisha) married to Majdi Saleh.[citation needed] They have a son, Jaafar, and a daughter, Jumana.
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Extended royal family
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They were divorced on 21 December 1971. After her divorce she was allowed to keep the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Jordan. She continues to work and live in Jordan.
She is deeply involved in issues connected to the development of nursing in Jordan, founding the Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing.[2]
Radio Amateur
Muna al-Hussein is a licensed Radio amateur and carries the callsign JY2 - as well as her husband Hussein, she has a non-conformist callsign consisting only of the Jordan prefix. Giving her the license is seen to be a political demonstration by Hussein, as well as strengthening women in the Arab societies.
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| Preceded by Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid as Queen consort |
Princess Consort of Jordan 25 May 1961 – 21 December 1971 |
Succeeded by Alia al Hussein as Queen consort |
References
- ^ The Jordanian constitution requires that any heir to the throne be born of a legitimate couple, and both parents should be Muslims. Chapter VI Part I, Article 28th of The Jordanian Constitution
- ^ Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
