Jordan’s Prince Hamzah bin Hussein says he’s renouncing his royal title

• Prince Hamzah bin Hussein renounced his royal title on Sunday due to “personal convictions.”
• In a statement shared on Twitter, the royal blamed the “modern methods of our institutions.”

Jordan’s Prince Hamzah bin Hussein is renouncing his prince title due to his “personal convictions,” he said in a statement on Sunday that was translated by the BBC.

Prince Hamzah, the 42-year-old half-brother of King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, posted a picture of his statement to Twitter announcing his decision to abandon the title and his reason for doing so.

“Following what I have witnessed in recent years, 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,” his statement said, according to the BBC.

“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 honor of serving my beloved country and my dear people over the years of my life,” the statement continued.

He concluded: “I will remain as I have always been and as long as I live, loyal to our beloved Jordan.”

According to the Jordanian tourism board’s website, Prince Hamzah is the oldest of four children born to King Hussein and Queen Noor, who married on June 15, 1978. King Hussein had three sons – one of whom is the now-monarch Abdullah II – and five daughters from three other marriages.

Prince Hamzah was named crown prince of Jordan in 1999 upon the death of his father, but was too young to be named a successor, the BBC reported. Instead, Abdullah II ascended the throne and stripped Prince Hamzah of his crown prince title in 2004.

Prince Hamzah’s decision to reject his title is the latest in a series of ongoing feuds he has had with the palace and King Abdullah II. In April 2021, Business Insider’s Bill Bostock reported that Prince Hamzah pledged allegiance to his half-brother after he was accused of plotting to seize the throne.

Prince Hamzah, who said he was under house arrest at the time, released a video that was shared with the BBC, denying the accusations and saying he was being punished for speaking out against corruption. Prince Hamzah said the Jordanian military had detained him at his home and cut his communications other than satellite internet.

Speaking about Jordan’s political landscape in the video, he said “even to criticize a small aspect of a policy leads to arrest and abuse by the security services.”

He added: “It has reached the point where no one is able to speak or express an opinion on anything without being bullied, arrested, harassed, and threatened.”

In March, Prince Hamzah apologized to his brother and the Jordanian people, according to a letter released by the Royal Hashemite Court. In the letter, Prince Hamzah appears to “bear responsibility for the stances I have taken and the offences I have committed.” According to the court’s statement, Prince Hamza called his brother an “inspiring leader and a compassionate brother” and vowed that his behavior would not be repeated.

The Royal Hashemite Court did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.