Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco

Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, also known as Prince Moulay Rachid ben al-Hassan, (Arabic: الأمير مولاي رشيد بن الحسن; born (1970-06-20)20 June 1970) is a member of the Alawi dynasty. He was the youngest child of the late King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa. He holds a doctorate in international politics. He is currently second in the line of succession to the Moroccan throne.

Prince Moulay Rachid
Moulay Rachid in 2019
Born (1970-06-20) 20 June 1970
Rabat, Morocco
Spouse
Oum Kalthum Boufarès
​
​
(m. 2014)​
IssuePrince Moulay Ahmed
Prince Moulay Abdeslam
Names
Rachid El Alaoui
DynastyAlaouite
FatherHassan II
MotherPrincess Lalla Latifa
ReligionIslam
Royal family of Morocco

Princess Lalla Latifa

Princess Lalla Lamia

Early life and education

Prince Moulay Rachid is the second son and fifth child of King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou. Prince Moulay Rachid has one older brother, King Mohammed VI, and three sisters, Princess Lalla Meryem, Princess Lalla Asma and Princess Lalla Hasna.

After primary and secondary studies at the Royal College in Rabat and obtaining the Baccalauréat in June 1989, he entered Mohammed V University in Rabat to start his higher studies in law. In May 1993, Prince Moulay Rachid obtained his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) majoring in economic and social law. The same year the Prince received his License to Practice Law – Public Law. On 29 June 1995, the Prince completed his graduate studies and received a Master of Law (LL.M.) in Political Science. The Bosnia question was the subject of his research and the thesis that the Prince presented and supported publicly. In order to complete his training for his postgraduate education, in November 1993, the Prince started an internship with the United Nations in New York. On 18 May 2001, the Prince presented his doctorate thesis on the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at the Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV, which merited a specific mention for the quality of his work. On 21 June 1996, the Prince successfully completed the written and oral tests for his postgraduate education and received a postgraduate Degree in International Relations.

As heir to the Moroccan throne

In 1999, Moulay Rachid became crown prince following the death of his father and the enthronement of his brother King Mohammed VI, and remained as such until 2003, with the birth of his nephew Moulay Hassan. The Prince is now second in line to the throne.

In 1999, a few analysts like Nicolas Beau and Catherine Graciet argued that Moulay Rachid might be better suited for the job of the king than his brother. They expressed their concern that Mohammed VI might not have adequate expertise to deal with militant Islamists.[1]

Fouad Mourtada controversy

On 5 February 2008, Fouad Mourtada was arrested on suspicion of stealing the identity of Moulay Rachid by creating a fake profile on Facebook as a joke. Although the prince did not seek to press charges, on 23 February, Fouad Mourtada was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 10,000 dirhams (~US$1,350).[2] After local protests and international criticism, Fouad Mourtada was granted a royal pardon on 19 March 2008 just days before an appeal hearing.[3][4]

Personal life

On 15 June 2014 he married, during the initial Moroccan wedding ceremony: the sadaq ceremony, his second cousin Oum Kalthum Boufarès, who is daughter of Moulay El Mamoun Boufarès, former Minister of Interior, and paternal granddaughter of Lalla Khadija (a sister of Mohammed V).[5] And on 13 and 14 November[6] of the same year took place their zafaf (or celebration of marriage) at Dar al-Makhzen in Rabat. His wife, henceforth Lalla Oum Kalthum, was granted by King Mohammed VI the title of Princess and the status of Royal Highness on 8 June 2017.[7][8] Their first child, a son, Moulay Ahmed was born on 23 June 2016. The couple have two children, referred to as Highnesses. Moulay Rachid being second in line to the throne, his sons are respectively 3rd and 4th in line.

On 14 October 2022, Moulay Rachid tested positive for COVID-19.[9]

Children
  • Prince Moulay Ahmed (born on (2016-06-23)23 June 2016);[10]
  • Prince Moulay Abdeslam (born (2022-06-01)1 June 2022).[11]

Activities
Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco at 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Moulay Rachid occasionally serves Morocco as a diplomat, representing his brother King Mohammed VI at foreign engagements. On 22 October 2019, he attended the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito of Japan.[12] On 19 September 2022, Rachid attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.[13][14]

On 7 November 2022, Rachid attended the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.[15][16][17]

On 20 December 2022, Moulay Rachid, along with King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, received the members of the Moroccan national football team at the Royal Palace in Rabat, after their brilliant performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[18][19]

Honours

National honours
Prince Moulay Rachid and then-Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed in 1993.

Foreign honours

Ancestry

References
  1. Nicolas Beau et Catherine Graciet (2007). Quand le Maroc sera islamiste (PDF) (in French). Editions La Découverte. ISBN 978-2-7071-5286-2.
  2. "Jail for Facebook spoof Moroccan". BBC News. 23 February 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  3. Morocco 'Facebook prince' pardon, BBC News, 19 March 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  4. Royal pardon for Internet user, condemned to three years of jail for creating spoof Facebook for prince, Reporters Without Borders, 19 March 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008. Archived 3 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "El príncipe Moulay Rachid, hermano de Mohamed VI, se compromete con Oum Keltoum Boufarès". HOLA USA (in European Spanish). 16 June 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  6. Staff writer. "In Pictures: Second Day of Prince Moulay Rachid's Wedding". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  7. MAP (14 June 2017). "L'épouse du président français et LL.AA.RR. les Princesses Lalla Salma et Lalla Oum Kaltoum visitent l'exposition 'Face à Picasso'". Le Matin.ma (in French). TRH Princesses Lalla Salma and Lalla Oum Kaltoum visited the "Face à Picasso" exhibition on Wednesday in Rabat
  8. "Lalla Oum Keltoum est désormais Altesse royale". bladinet (in French). 9 June 2017.
  9. Benazizi, Aya. "Prince Moulay Rachid Tests Positive for COVID". Morocco world news. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  10. "Palais Royal: le Prince Moulay Ahmed, fils du Prince Moulay Rachid est né". Medi1 News (in French). 23 June 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  11. Islah, Fadwa (2 June 2022). "Maroc : naissance de Moulay Abdeslam, fils du prince Moulay Rachid". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  12. "HRH Prince Moulay Rachid Represents HM the King at Enthronement of Japan's New Emperor | MapNews". Maghreb Arabe Presse. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  13. "Arab leaders present at Queen Elizabeth's funeral". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  14. "HRH Prince Moulay Rachid Arrives in London to Represent HM the King at Queen Elizabeth II's State Funeral". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  15. "الأمير مولاي رشيد يمثل الملك في "كوب 27"". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  16. Release, Africa Press. "His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid Represents His Majesty the King at 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  17. "COP-27: Prince Moulay Rachid Represents Morocco's King at Climate Summit – The North Africa Post". Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  18. "King receives members of national soccer team, decorates them with Royal wissams". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  19. Zouiten, Sara. "King Mohammed VI Awards Atlas Lions with Wissams at Royal Reception". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  20. web, Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". Quirinale (in Italian). Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  21. "Estrangeiros com Ordens Portuguesas".
  22. "Estrangeiros com Ordens Portuguesas".
  23. Boletín Oficial del Estado
  24. "Visite officielle de SM le Roi en Tunisie". 2014.
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