Princess Zein bint Hussein

Princess Zein bint Al Hussein^[1] (born 23 April 1968^[2]) is the sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan and the twin sister of Princess Aisha bint Hussein.

Princess Zein bint Al Hussein
Born	(1968-04-23) 23 April 1968 (age 57) Amman, Jordan
Spouse	Sayyid Majdi Al-Saleh
Issue	Ja'afar Al-Saleh Jumana Al-Saleh Tahani Al-Shahwa (adopted)
Names Zein bint Hussein bin Talal bin Abdullah
House	Hashemite
Father	Hussein of Jordan
Mother	Toni Gardiner

Biography

Princess Zein was born in 23 April 1968 at Palestine Hospital in Al Abdali, Amman, She attended Westover School, where she captained the volleyball team and graduated in 1986; her father spoke at the commencement.^[3] She married Sayyid Majdi Al-Saleh on 3 August 1989 (younger son of Sayyid Farid Al-Saleh).^{[Note 1]} Together, they have two biological children: Ja'afar Al-Saleh, born 9 November 1990, and Jumana Al-Saleh.^[2] They also have an adopted daughter, Tahani Al-Shahwa.^[4]

Princess Zein has been involved in humanitarian efforts since the 1990s. She offered financial support to the Gulf Peace Team, a nonviolent protest group during the Gulf War.^[5][6] In 1997, King Hussein ordered Hashemiyeh Palace, then used to house foreign dignitaries, converted into an orphanage after learning of poor conditions for orphans in Amman.^[7] He selected Princess Zein to run the new facility and act as its patron; it opened nine months later as Dar Al Bir.^[8][9] In 2013, she visited Miami Children's Hospital for a demonstration of telehealth programs.^[10]

She and her husband also own Royal Ja'afar Stud, where they breed Arabian horses.^[11]

Princess Zein and her half-sister Alia are also sisters-in-law, with Alia married to Majdi Al-Saleh‘s brother.

Honours

National

• Jordan
  • Knight Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance, Special Class
  • Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan

Foreign

• Brunei: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit
• Norway: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit^{[citation needed]}

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Zein bint Hussein

8. Abdullah I of Jordan 4. Talal of Jordan 9. Musbah bint Nasser 2. Hussein of Jordan 10. Jamal Ali bin Nasser, Sharif of Mecca, Governor of Hauran 5. Zein al-Sharaf 11. Wijdan Shakir Pasha 1. Princess Zein bint Hussein[citation needed] 12. Arthur Gardiner 6. Walter Percy Gardiner 13. Mabel Jane Tovell 3. Antoinette Avril Gardiner 14. Arthur Sutton 7. Doris Elizabeth Sutton 15. Dora Elizabeth Alderton

Notes

1. The Romanization of Arabic is not standardized, and various sources render the surname of Princess Zein's husband and biological children in slightly different ways. The Jordanian government uses Saleh in the official Hashemite family tree, Routledge spells the name as-Saleh, and many other sources prefer al-Saleh (as used here).