Queen Rania of Jordan is a well-known humanitarian, wife, mother and businesswoman who has built her reputation on her dedication to social causes. Since marrying the King of Jordan in 2003 and becoming queen, Queen Rania has become even more involved on the global stage with various charities, including the Red Cross and the El-Hibri Foundation. In addition to her extensive charity work, Queen Rania has also been in the news for these 10 interesting facts about her life:
She is the first woman in her country to obtain a degree from an American university.
Queen Rania was born in Kuwait in 1970 and moved to Jordan as a child. She studied at the American University in Cairo and earned a B.A. in English Literature, as well as an M.A. in Communications. She was the first woman in Jordan to receive a degree from an American university and the first person in her family to attend college. In 2001, she was named in the 100 Most Influential Arabs, and she received an Honorary Doctorate from the American University Cairo in 2002.
She is the co-founder of the El-Hibri Foundation, which provides education for underprivileged children.
Rania co-founded the El-Hibri Foundation with her father, Ahmad El-Hibri, in 1998. The charity is dedicated to improving opportunities for underprivileged children in the Middle East and aims to provide communities with the tools to support their own economic development. The El-Hibri Foundation has built hundreds of schools across Jordan and has been responsible for increasing the country’s literacy rate from 80% to 90%. In 2017, El-Hibri’s research centre published a report showing that the country’s gross domestic product was $29 billion greater than it had been in 2011, before the Syrian refugee crisis.
In 2004, she was honoured by the United Nations and named “Messenger of Peace”.
In 2004, the United Nations appointed Queen Rania as their first-ever “Messenger of Peace”, an honorary title that recognizes exceptional leaders who serve as role models in promoting world peace and helping to end conflicts. The organization honoured Rania for her work with underprivileged children, her social entrepreneurship and her efforts to encourage dialogue between cultures. She was also the co-chair of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals forum, which works to eradicate poverty globally.
Rania was listed as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Arabs by Gulf Business.
The most influential Arabs in the world are selected annually by the Dubai-based business publication, Gulf Business. In their 2016 report, Queen Rania was listed as the 9th most influential Arab. The publication highlights the queen’s focus on improving women’s roles in society, her dedication to education, and her efforts to promote dialogue between cultures and religions.
She is a proud mother to two boys: Hussein and Hashem.
Hussein was born in 2005, shortly before Rania and King Abdullah II’s wedding, and Hashem was born in 2009. The boys were born in Amman, Jordan. They were delivered by the country’s first lady of obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Saraya al-Dali, who is a friend and colleague of Rania’s. Queen Rania has spoken with pride about her experiences as a working mother, particularly about the societal attitudes toward working mothers in Jordan. She has said that she encourages her sons to “explore the whole world and then come back to Jordan and explore this society, and then make the best use of it to serve the world.”
Rania speaks seven different languages.
Queen Rania grew up speaking Arabic, Farsi and English. She has also studied French, Spanish, and Italian. Her bilingual abilities have helped her engage with people worldwide, including the predominantly English-speaking United States.
She is a certified scuba diver and avid equestrian.
Rania and her husband are both certified scuba divers, and she is an active equestrian. She has ridden horses since she was a child, and she and the king have a Royal Jordanian Equestrian Club, which they support financially.
Her husband, King Abdullah II, has given her unprecedented decision-making power in government.
As a child, Rania imagined what it might be like to be a queen. She dreamed of having a position of power and using it for good. In 2005, she and her husband assumed their positions as King and Queen of Jordan. In addition to her work with the El-Hibri Foundation, the queen has been critical in shaping the country’s economic and educational policies, including a $1.3 billion program to expand Jordan’s public schools. She has also taken a significant role in improving the country’s infrastructure, health care and environmental policies.
Rania’s rise to power as a decision-making queen has been unprecedented in the Middle East. In a 2011 interview with The Wall Street Journal, King Abdullah II said that Rania has “a lot of influence”. He went on to say that he and the queen discuss all of their political decisions together and that she has “as much of a voice as I do in the running of the country.”
Her husband has said that she is “stronger than any other woman in the world.”
In the same Wall Street Journal article, King Abdullah II was quoted as saying, “She is incredibly strong… actually, I don’t know if there is any other woman in the world who is as strong as she is.”
Her role as the queen has made her a popular public figure.
Queen Rania has said that her role as a public figure enables her to have a more significant impact on society. Her popularity among Jordanian citizens has made her an effective advocate for social change. In his 2011 interview with The Wall Street Journal, King Abdullah II said that Rania’s popularity has been helpful in their efforts to improve the country. He explained that “people are more open to change when they see that their queen approves of it too.”
Queen Rania has remained true to herself throughout her rise to power.
Rania has said that she remains true to herself and her values despite her public image. She has said that she believes change is possible only when people “respect who they are and where they come from” and work toward a common goal “together, not alone.” The queen has said that the most important thing that she has learned since becoming queen is to always “stay true to your values.” She has said that as a public figure, she must lead by example and do what she believes is right.
Image Credit: Twitter/@QueenRania
