Princess Basma bint Talal

Princess Basma bint Talal (born 11 May 1951) is the only daughter of King Talal and Queen Zein of Jordan, sister of Hussein of Jordan and paternal aunt to the current king, King Abdullah II.

Princess Basma bint Talal
Born (1951-05-11) 11 May 1951
Amman, Jordan
SpouseTimoor Daghistani
(m. 1970; div. 197?)
Walid al-Kurdi
(m. 1980)
Issue
  • Farah Daghistani
  • Ghazi Daghistani
  • Saad al-Kurdi
  • Zein Al-Sharaf al-Kurdi
Names
Basma bint Talal bin Abdullah bin Hussein
HouseHashemite
FatherTalal of Jordan
MotherZein al-Sharaf
ReligionIslam

Background

Princess Basma, as an infant, among her siblings, c. 1952-53: (L to R) Prince Hassan, Hussein of Jordan, Princess Basma, and Prince Muhammad.

Basma's father became King of Jordan two months after she was born as a result of the assassination of her grandfather King Abdullah I in Jerusalem. King Talal was forced to abdicate as King for health reasons in 1952, when Basma was one year old. He lived on until 1972. Her mother was Queen Zein (1916–1994). After her father's abdication, her older brother Hussein (1935–1999) ascended the throne, and her mother was queen regent until Hussein came of age in 1953.

Education

Basma was educated at Ahliyyah School for Girls in Amman, then in England at Benenden School (where she was a friend of Princess Anne) and University of Oxford, where she read Modern Languages.

In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree by Oxford University for a thesis entitled Contextualising development in Jordan: the arena of donors, state and NGOs.

Marriage and career

Basma first married Colonel Timoor Daghistani in Amman on 2 April 1970. They had two children: Farah Daghistani and Ghazi Daghistani. In the late 1970s they were divorced. Basma went on to marry Walid al-Kurdi in Amman on 14 April 1980, and they also had two children: Saad al-Kurdi and Zein Al-Sharaf al-Kurdi.

Since the late 1970s, Basma has worked to promote human development, gender equity and children's charities. Through forums that include the United Nations she contributes to the global debates on health, education, population and the environment.

Appointments

Title, styles and honours

Title

  • 11 May 1952 – present: Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan

National honours

Foreign honours

National award

Foreign awards

References

  1. Jordan Embassy
  2. "United Nations Population Fund". UNFPA.
  3. "HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal : Official Website". Princessbasma.jo. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  4. "Badraie.com". Badraie.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal : Official Website". Princessbasma.jo. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  7. "Honorary Degrees at the University of Reading". Reading.ac.uk. 30 June 1998. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  8. "Jordanian Princess concludes the Millennium Lecture Series". Reading.ac.uk. 3 May 2000. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  9. "Obituaries : Somerville College" (TXT). Ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  10. "Honorary Degrees | Smith College". Smith.edu. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  11. "HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal : Official Website". Princessbasma.jo. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  12. "HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal : Official Website". Princessbasma.jo. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
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