Princess Muna al-Hussein

Princess Muna al-Hussein
Princess Muna of Jordan

Princess Muna with sons Faisal and Abdullah (right) in 1964
Princess consort of Jordan
Tenure 25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972
Born Antoinette Avril Gardiner
(1941-04-25) 25 April 1941
Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England
Spouse Hussein of Jordan
(m. 1961; div. 1972)
Issue Abdullah II of Jordan
Prince Faisal
Princess Aisha
Princess Zein
House Hashemite (by marriage)
Father Walter Percy Gardiner
Mother Doris Elizabeth Sutton
Religion Islam
Jordanian Royal Family

HM The King
HM The Queen


HM Queen Noor

Princess Muna al-Hussein (born Antoinette Avril Gardiner;[1] 25 April 1941) is the mother of King Abdullah II of Jordan. Until their divorce on 21 December 1972, she was the second wife of Hussein, the late king of Jordan. She was born in the United Kingdom, is ethnically English and British by citizenship but in keeping with Islamic culture, she changed her name to Muna al-Hussein upon marriage.

Early life

Toni Gardiner was born in Chelmondiston, the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (neé Sutton) and Walter Percy Gardiner. She attended Bourne School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was administered by the British Families Education Service for the children of British Service personnel stationed overseas, where she was an A-grade field hockey player. The school closed when British Forces withdrew from Malaya.

Gardiner's father was a high-ranking British Army Officer stationed at Long Marston in Warwickshire in the 1960s.[2]

Marriage and children

Gardiner met the King of Jordan, Hussein, while working as a secretarial assistant on the film set of Lawrence of Arabia. The King had allowed his troops to work as extras on this film and would occasionally visit to monitor the production's progress. However, there is another report, stating that Gardiner and the King met when her father began to work as a Military Adviser in Jordan.[2]

Gardiner married King Hussein in Amman, Jordan, on 25 May 1961. She converted to Islam and was renamed Muna al-Hussein upon marriage;[3] she kept the title Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein after the divorce. Together they had four children:

They were divorced on 21 December 1972. After her divorce, she was allowed to keep the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Jordan. She continues to work and live in Jordan.

Causes and activities

She is involved in the development of nursing in Jordan, founding the Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing.[4] In 1962, Princess Muna founded the Princess Muna College of Nursing, now the Princess Muna College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.[5]

Titles, styles, honours, positions and awards

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Muna.
Royal titles
Preceded by
Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid
as queen consort
Princess consort of Jordan
25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972
Succeeded by
Alia al-Hussein
as queen consort
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