Amman: Jordan’s King Abdullah II has imposed restrictions on the movements, place of residence and communications of his estranged half brother Prince Hamzah, widening a royal rift in the kingdom.
In a strongly worded public letter, King Abdullah II said he had decreed the measures on account of Hamzah’s “erratic behavior and aspirations. We will provide Hamzah with all that he requires to live a comfortable life, but he will not have the space he once abused to offend the nation, its institutions, and his family, nor to undermine Jordan’s stability,” he said.
Abdullah added that his half brother had during the past year or so “exhausted all opportunities to restore himself on the right path”. The announcement marked the latest chapter in an ongoing palace feud that saw the junior royal placed under a form of detention last year and the internal disputes of the royal family spill into the public eye.
Abdullah and Hamzah are sons of King Hussein, who ruled Jordan for nearly a half-century before his death in 1999. Abdullah had appointed Hamzah as crown prince upon his succession, but later stripped him of that title and instead installed his own son as heir as stipulated under the country’s constitution.
The monarch’s strongly worded public condemnation marked a potentially risky move. Hamzah has enjoyed considerable popularity in Jordan, particularly among its tribes, who have traditionally been a bedrock of support for the royal family.
