Who is the King of Jordan? A look at the leader’s family life, education, net worth, and politics

King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is Jordan’s head of state and has ruled the country since 1999, taking over after the death of his father. The King’s wife, Queen Rania Al-Yassin, has been outspoken in her defense of Palestinian rights since Israel’s war on the strip began in October 2023. The couple married in 1993 and share four children.

Early life of King Abdullah

His education took him to the United States and England, graduating from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts before heading to the United Kingdom to continue his studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford University, where he studied for one year. He later obtained a master’s in Foreign Service Affairs from Georgetown University. Until taking over as head of state, he served in the military, reaching the rank of Field Marshal.

The King’s finances

According to reporting from The Guardian from 2021, the Jordanian royal family’s net worth is estimated to be around $100 million. These calculations were made using documents leaked as a part of the Pandora Papers, which linked him to real estate in Malibu and London. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of Jordan’s 11 million people live in poverty and are not allowed access to the details of the royal family’s immense wealth.

King Abdullah visits Washington under less than ideal circumstances

The Jordanian leader is in Washington this week to meet with President Trump, and his trip comes at a very delicate time for the region and his country. President Trump has announced his intention for the US to take over the Gaza Strip and has put pressure on Jordan and Egypt to accept Palestinian refugees who would be displaced by the acquisition. Both countries have rejected any calls to take in refugees from Gaza, and in response, Trump said he would consider stopping the flow of aid to those countries.

Abdullah is 63 years old, and during his tenure, he has made changes to the system of government he inherited to quell dissatisfaction among the population. According to Freedom House, a US-based organization that evaluates the protection of political and civil rights in countries around the world, Jordan is classified as “not free.” Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinian who have been displaced by Israel since the Nakba in 1949. Not all of these refugees are Jordanian citizens, which, according to Amnesty Intentional, means “they are excluded from rights and services enjoyed by citizens and are amongst the most destitute communities in Jordan.”

As the two heads of state prepare to meet, King Abdullah has committed to opening his country to 2,000 children from Gaza, far short of the millions the White House may expect the country to accept in the near future.

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