Jordan says Prince Hamzah pledges loyalty to king
Jordan’s Prince Hamzah pledged loyalty to king Abdullah on Monday, as the king accepted mediation over a rift within the royal family that saw the prince placed under house arrest, the palace said.
“I will remain… faithful to the legacy of my ancestors, walking on their path, loyal to their path and their message and to His Majesty,” he said in a signed letter, quoted by the palace.
“I will always be ready to help and support His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince,” he was quoted as writing.
Hamzah’s statement came shortly after the palace said King Abdullah had agreed to enter mediation “to handle the question of Prince Hamzah within the framework of the Hashemite (ruling) family.”
The job of mediator was handed to his uncle, Prince Hassan, a former heir to the throne.
“After His Majesty King Abdullah’s decision to resolve matters surrounding His Royal Highness Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein and the developments of the past two days within the Royal Hashemite Family, and after King Abdullah entrusted His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal to undertake this, Prince El Hassan reached out to Prince Hamzah, who reiterated his commitment to the Hashemite tradition and the course of action entrusted by His Majesty to Prince El Hassan,” said the statement issued by the palace.
On Saturday, Jordanian authorities detained the kingdom’s former crown prince and arrested nearly 20 other people, after what officials called a “threat to the country’s stability”.
Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the oldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born fourth wife Queen Noor, was placed under restriction at his Amman palace, amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to unseat his older half brother, King Abdullah II.
Jordan’s state media denied that Prince Hamza has been detained or placed under restriction.
The arrest campaign came after discovering what palace officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot that included at least one other Jordanian royal as well as tribal leaders and members of the country’s security establishment.
Prince Hamzah served as Jordan’s crown prince for four years before the title was transferred to the current monarch’s eldest son, Hussein.
