Succession to the throne of Jordan

The succession to the throne of Jordan is governed by Article 28 of the Constitution of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  Article 28, Paragraph A states: “The Royal title shall pass from the holder of the Throne to his eldest son and to the eldest son of that son and in linear succession by a similar process thereafter. Should the eldest son die before the Throne devolves upon him, his eldest son shall inherit the Throne, despite the existence of brothers to the deceased son. The King may, however, select one of his brothers as heir apparent. In this event, title to the Throne shall pass to him from the holder of the Throne.”

Article 28 of the Jordanian Constitution: The King and His Prerogatives

This article gives the King power to name his successor to a certain extent.  On January 24, 1999, two weeks before he died, King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah the Crown Prince, replacing his brother Prince Hassan who had been Crown Prince since 1965.

On February 7, 1999, the day King Hussein died, the new king, Abdullah II, named his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, the Crown Prince.  Prince Hamzah was the eldest son of King Hussein and his fourth wife Queen Noor. Apparently it was the wish of King Hussein that Prince Hamzah be named the Crown Prince.  King Abdullah’s eldest son Prince Hussein was 4 1/2 years old at the time.  At the time of his death, King Hussein had two sons besides Abdullah who were older than Prince Hamzah: Prince Faisal, son of his second wife Princess Muna and younger brother of King Abdullah, and Prince Ali, son of his third wife Queen Alia.

On November 28, 2004, King Abdullah removed the title Crown Prince from his half-brother Prince Hamzah.  A letter King Abdullah wrote to Prince Hamzah said in part, “Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake."  King Abdullah did not name a Crown Prince at that time, but according to Article 28 of the Constitution of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, his eldest son Prince Hussein was the de facto heir to the throne.

Jordan crown prince loses title
Letter from King Abdullah II to Prince Hamzah

On July 2, 2009, King Abdullah issued a decree naming his fifteen year old, eldest son, Prince Hussein, the Crown Prince.  The decree read: “We, King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, acting under Paragraph A of Article 28 of the Constitution, issue our Royal Decree naming our eldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Hussein Ben Abdullah II, as Crown Prince. He shall be vested with all rights and privileges pertaining to this decree."

Jordan's king names son, 15, as crown prince

Article 28, Paragraphs B, C, and D of the Constitution of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan also stipulate the order of succession if the person entitled to the throne has no male heir:

(b) Should the person entitled to the Throne die without a male heir, the Throne shall pass to his eldest brother. In the event that the holder of the Throne has no brothers, the Throne shall pass to the eldest son of his eldest brother. Should his eldest brother have no son, the Throne shall pass to the eldest son of his other brothers according to their seniority in age.

(c) In the absence of any brothers or nephews, the Throne shall pass to the uncles and their descendants, according to the order prescribed in paragraph (b) above.

(d) Should the last King die without any heir in the manner prescribed above, the Throne shall devolve upon the person whom the National Assembly shall select from amongst the descendants of the founder of the Arab Revolt, the late King Hussein Ibn Ali.

Furthermore, the constitution states that only legitimate, male, mentally sound, Muslim, male-line descendants of King Abdullah I are eligible to be King.  A person can be excluded from the succession by a Royal Decree on the ground of unsuitability.

What follows is not a line of succession, but those who are eligible to succeed to the throne of Jordan.

• HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Al Abdullah, born June 28, 1994, the King's son
• HRH Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah, born January 30, 2005, the King's son
• HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, born October 11, 1963, the King's brother
• HRH Prince Omar bin Al Faisal, born October 22, 1993, the King's nephew
• HRH Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, born December 23, 1975, the King's half brother
• HRH Prince Abdullah bin Ali, born March 19, 2007, the King's half nephew
• HRH Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein, born March 29, 1980, the King's half brother
• HRH Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, born June 10, 1981, the King's half brother
• HRH Prince Muhammad bin Talal, born October 2, 1940, the King's uncle
• HRH Prince Talal bin Muhammad, born July 26, 1965, the King's first cousin
• HRH Prince Hussein bin Al Talal, born October 15, 1999, the King's first cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Muhammad bin Al Talal, born 2001, the King's first cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, born October 15, 1966, the King's first cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Abdullah bin Al Ghazi, born November 6, 2001, the King's first cousin twice removed
• HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal, born March 20, 1947, the King's uncle
• HRH Prince Rashid bin El Hassan, born May 20, 1979, the King's first cousin
• HRH Prince Ali bin Nayef, born August 10, 1941, the King's first cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Muhammad al-Abbas bin Ali, May 20 1979, the King's second cousin
• HRH Prince Hamzah al-Abbas bin Muhammad, April 17, 2007, the King's second cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Ja'afar bin Ali, April 27, 2007, the King's second cousin
• HRH Prince Asem bin Al Nayef, born February 17, 1973, the King's first cousin once removed
• HRH Prince Nayef bin Asem, born January 22, 1998, the King's second cousin