Born in Amman on 30 January 1962 as the eldest son of His Majesty the late King Hussein bin Talal and Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein. His Majesty received his education at the Islamic Educational College school in Amman and Deerfield Academy in the United States, and he attended Oxford University and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

His Majesty received his military education at Britain’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and pursued a distinguished military career, rising from first lieutenant to major general and serving as commander of Jordan’s special forces.

As Prince Abdullah, he undertook the role of Regent multiple times in the absence of the late King Hussein. On 24 January 1999, a Royal Decree was issued naming him Crown Prince, having previously been named as Crown Prince upon his birth on 30 January 1962, in accordance with Article 28 of the Constitution, and until 1 April 1965.

In February 1999, he assumed his constitutional powers as King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after the passing of his father, King Hussein.

His Majesty married Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah on 10 June 1993. They have four children—two sons, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein, born on 28 June 1994, and Prince Hashem, born on 30 January 2005, and two daughters, Their Royal Highnesses Princess Iman, born on 27 September 1996, and Princess Salma, born on 26 September 2000.

His Majesty has devoted himself to serving Jordan and its people, and working towards peace and prosperity in the region.

As the 41 generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, King Abdullah II has taken the lead in advancing harmony and peace both within Islam and among the world’s religions.

In 2004, he launched the “Amman Message,” the first initiative by a Muslim leader to affirm that terrorism and violence have no place in Islam. In 2006, His Majesty supported and funded “A Common Word Between Us and You”, which calls for peace and harmony between Muslims and Christians. And in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted his proposal for a World Interfaith Harmony Week, which has been observed annually ever since in the first week of February.

In recognition of his efforts to promote peace and moderation, spread interfaith harmony, and safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodianship, His Majesty has received several prestigious international awards, including the Peace of Westphalia Prize, the Templeton Prize in the United States, Italy’s Lamp of Peace of St. Francis, the Scholar-Statesman Award from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Path to Peace Award, and the Zayed Award For Human Fraternity.

His Majesty is the author of Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril (2011), which includes his memoirs and outlines Jordan’s vision for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. The book was issued in Arabic by Dar Al-Saqi publishing house, and in English by Viking Press.