Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Back in 1993, when I first met Prince Abdullah at a dinner, I could never have imagined what fate had in store for me. At that time, as a recent graduate, I was living and working in Amman, and certainly never expected to marry a Prince of the Hashemite lineage or, one day, become the Queen of Jordan.

Following the sad passing of His Late Majesty King Hussein, and the ascension of His Majesty King Abdullah, we were faced with enormous responsibilities and challenges. Fortunately, we had had a taste of public life in our roles as Prince and Princess, but still the adjustments to King and Queen were considerable. In fact, we are still learning.

I think we always will. Many people are awestruck by the title of “Queen”, but for me, it is a job that incorporates several roles. Primarily, my duty is to partner His Majesty in his efforts to improve the standard of living of all Jordanians. While respecting our traditions, we are determined to build Jordan into a modern civil society and model for the region by ensuring sustainable levels of economic growth and social development. In addition, I work in areas related to child protection and family safety, women’s empowerment, the creation of opportunities for youth, and culture and tourism. Daunting? Yes. Impossible? No. In fact, such challenges energize me.

Like a lot of jobs, it is often hard work but, equally, it is varied and interesting and provides privileged opportunities to meet a wide cross-section of society--both at home and abroad.

As a working mother, juggling the demands of the job and four young children is not easy. Like all parents, I strive to achieve the right balance. My official activities take account of the children’s school day and their plans and programs, and extensive periods of time on overseas engagements are limited.

Spending a couple of hours each night with the children doing homework or reading to them in bed gives them, and me, a sense of security. Being surrounded by them, grounds me and reminds me of what is important.

I am now officially following Queen Rania on Twitter! i really adore her, and can't stop myself by keep reading everything she wrote on her website, and i blog about it righ away!


..She's just amazing...:)