Princess Muna Al Hussein

Princess Muna Al Hussein[2] (Arabic: منى الحسين, born Toni Avril Gardiner; 25 April 1941) is the mother of Abdullah II of Jordan. She was the second wife of King Hussein; the couple divorced on 21 December 1972. She is British by birth, and changed her name to Muna Al Hussein upon marriage.

Muna Al Hussein
Princess Muna in 1964
Princess consort of Jordan
Tenure25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972
BornToni Avril Gardiner[1]
(1941-04-25) 25 April 1941
Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1972)​
Issue
FatherWalter Percy Gardiner
MotherDoris Elizabeth Sutton
Jordanian royal family
List
Extended royal family
Noor and others
Queen Noor
Haya and others
Muna and others
Princess Muna
Alia
Firyal and others
Hassan and others
Basma
Nayef and others

Early life

Muna Al Hussein was born in Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Sutton) and Lieutenant Colonel Walter Percy "Tony" Gardiner. She attended Bourne School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, which was administered by the British Families Education Service for the children of British service personnel stationed overseas, where she was an A-grade field hockey player.

Gardiner's father was a British Army officer who finished his career with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was the son of Arthur Gardiner, a gamekeeper. He joined the Royal Engineers at the age of 17, and was stationed in Mandatory Palestine for 18 months in the 1930s. He later served in France, North Africa, and Italy during World War II.[3][4]

Marriage and children

Gardiner met the King of Jordan, Hussein, while working as a secretarial assistant on the film set of Lawrence of Arabia. The King had allowed his troops to work as extras on this film and would occasionally visit to monitor the production's progress. However, there is another report, stating that Gardiner and the King met when her father began to work as a military adviser in Jordan.[4]

Gardiner married King Hussein in Amman, Jordan, on 25 May 1961. Together they had four children:

They were divorced on 21 December 1972.[5] She continues to work and live in Jordan.

Causes and activities

She is involved in the development of nursing in Jordan, founding the Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing.[6] In 1962, she founded the Princess Muna College of Nursing, now the Princess Muna College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.[7]

Honours

National

Foreign

References
  1. "The Hashemite Royal Family". The Office of King Hussein. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. "Statement from the Royal Hashemite Court". The Royal Hashemite Court. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  3. "Lieutenant-Colonel Tony Gardiner". The Telegraph. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. Ewing, Richard (5 February 1999). "Prince's secretary mum who married a king". Coventy Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  5. "Hussein's Ex‐Wife Is Given Her 4 Children and Palace". The New York Times. 26 December 1972. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  6. Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing Archived 22 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Kafd.jo. Retrieved on 28 July 2015.
  7. "Princess Muna College". jrms.gov.jo. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  8. "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1965" (PDF).
  9. Romania Regala
  10. Romania Regala
  11. Romania Regala
  12. "State visit to Jordan".
  13. Order of the Republic
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