His Royal Highness was officially invested as Crown Prince to the Hashemite Throne of Jordan, in April 1965. Until the changes in succession brought about by His late Majesty King Hussein, in January 1999, he served as the King’s closest political advisor, confidant and deputy, as well as acting as Regent in the King’s absence from the country.
Prince Hassan had his early schooling in Amman, largely through private tuition, then attended the English preparatory school, Summer Fields. In 1963, HRH went to Harrow School, where he was in Park House, and then matriculated to Christ Church College, Oxford. HRH graduated from Oxford with a B.A. (Hons.) in Oriental Studies, followed by an M.A.
Prince Hassan has initiated, founded and is actively involved in a number of Jordanian and international institutes and committees. In Jordan, HRH established:
- The Royal Scientific Society, in 1970.
- The Arab Thought Forum, in 1981.
- The Higher Council for Science and Technology, in 1987.
- The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, in 1994.
- The West Asia – North Africa Institute in 2009.
Prince Hassan chaired the committees overseeing the first development plan (1973-1975) and the three subsequent development plans (1976–1980, 1981–1985 and 1986–1990). HRH also established the annual Bilad Al-Sham Conference, in 1978, the Al al-Bait Foundation, in 1980, the Islamic Scientific Academy, the tri-annual conferences on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency, the Centre for Educational Development, the Institute for Diplomacy and the Al al-Bait University in Mafraq.
Having always been interested in young people, and believing in the importance of their community, His Royal Highness founded the Forum Humanum, in 1982 (renamed the Arab Youth Forum, in 1988); the Crown Prince Award, in 1984 (renamed the El Hassan Youth Award, in 1999), and its affiliate programme, the Sabilat El Hassan, in 1988.
On the international stage, many of Prince Hassan’s ideas and initiatives have been catalytic to international decisions and resolutions. Addressing the 36th Session of the United Nations in 1981, His Royal Highness proposed the establishment of the New International Humanitarian Order, which led to a request by the Secretary General to found and co-chair the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (ICIHI). The final report of the Commission was adopted as a resolution at the 42nd General Assembly of the United Nations. In July 2002, Prince Hassan founded the International Cultures Foundation with Professor Ihsan Doğramaci, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bilkent University in Ankara. The Parliament of Cultures was then formed in 2004, to fulfil this agenda of promoting understanding among different cultures and enhancing dialogue between their thinkers and intellectuals. In July 2003, HRH launched Partners in Humanity as a joint initiative with John Marks from Search for Common Ground (SFCG), which aims to improve understanding, build positive relationships and promote dialogue between the Muslim and western worlds. In 2009 HRH launched the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Forum which is a regional initiative intended to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas surrounding shared social, environmental and economic challenges.
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