Queen Rania Of Jordan

  About Queen Rania: 

Rania Al Abdullah  (born Rania al Yassin on 31 August 1970) is the current Queen consort of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan. In a 2009 list of the 100 most powerfully influential women in the world, Queen Rania ranked 76th. She has focused her energy, at home and abroad, on a variety of causes. In Jordan, her work concentrates on the calibre and quality of education for Jordanian children, while abroad she advocates for global education and for world leaders to fulfill their commitments towards the second Millennium Development Goal, Universal Primary Education.

Personal Life:

His Majesty King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein (then Prince) married Queen Rania on June 10, 1993. After her marriage to then Prince Abdullah, Queen Rania channeled her energies behind initiatives that aim to improve the livelihood of Jordanians from various sectors of society. As First Lady, Queen Rania's activities encompass issues of national concern, such as the environment, youth, human rights, tourism, and culture, among others. She also has a special interest in several core issues: the development of income-generating projects and the advancement of best practices in the field of microfinance, the promotion of family safety and the protection of children from violence, the promotion of Early Childhood Development, and the incorporation of Information Technology into the educational system; and the promotion of tourism and the preservation of Jordans heritage.

The Queen currently heads the Higher National Committee of the Declaration of Amman the Arab Cultural Capital 2002. She heads the Higher National Committee of the Jordan Song Festival, and also annually lends her patronage to the Jordanian Festival for the Arab Child Song. In tribute to His Majesty the Late King Hussein, and on the first anniversary of his passing away, Queen Rania produced The Kings Gift a childrens book about the Late King. Proceeds of the book go to the benefit of underprivileged children across Jordan.

 

She is also Honorary President of the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences (AABFS), a pioneering institute in the region offering technical and academic training in banking and financial services. And is also Honorary President of the Arab Women Labor Affairs Committee of the Arab Labor Organization. She is President of the Jordan Society for Organ Donation and the Jordan Cancer Society. On July 12, 2001, Queen Rania was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is fluent in Arabic and English, and has a working knowledge of French. 

Marriage and children

She met Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, who was a Prince at that time, at a dinner party in January 1993. Two months later, they announced their engagement and on 10 June 1993, they were married. They have four children:

Becoming Queen of Jordan

Her husband ascended on 7 February 1999, and proclaimed her Queen on 22 March 1999.Without proclamation she would have been a princess consort, like her mother-in-law, Princess Muna al-Hussein.