Ra'ad bin Zeid
Ra'ad bin Zeid Al Hashimi is the son of Prince Zeid of the Hashemite House and Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid, a Turkish noblewoman. His father died on October 18, 1970, leaving him in charge of the former Royal Houses of Iraq. Ra'ad has lived in London and Paris. As a grandson of [Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz|King Hussein of Jordan|Hussein of Hejaz], Ra'ad is also 33rd in the line of succession to the Jordanian throne.
Early life
Raad was born in Berlin, where his father was Iraqi ambassador at the time. He is an agnatic grandson of king Hussein of Hejaz, his father prince Zeid being king Hussein's youngest son. As such he is a first cousin of kings Talal of Jordan and Ghazi of Iraq.Raad's paternal first cousin once removed was Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, who was killed at the age of 23 in a bloody coup d'état on 14 July 1958. Following the revolution, Prince Zeid, Raad's father, was recognized as the Head of the Royal House of Iraq by his remaining agnatic co-heirs of Jordan. They continued to live in London, where the family resided during the coup, as Zeid was the Iraqi ambassador there.
Raad himself succeeded his father as all such at the latter's death in 1970 in exile in France.
Education and career
He was educated in Alexandria, Egypt, and at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1960, promoted to MA in 1963.After receiving his Cambridge degree, Raad was appointed as Chamberlain of the Royal Court of Jordan, in Amman, and afterwards worked there in civil administration and charitable organizations. He was an aide and a close confidant of his cousins kings Hussein and Abdullah II of Jordan.
Marriage and children
Prince Ra'ad married at Södertälje, Sweden, 30 June 1963, and at the Royal Palace, Amman, on 5 August 1963, Swedish-born Margaretha Inga Elisabeth Lind, henceforward known as Majda Ra'ad, President of Al-Hussein Society and Director of Bandak Foundation, born in Arboga on 5 September 1942 and died on 3 January 2025, daughter of Sven Gustav Lind and wife Carin Inga Birgitta Gunlaug Grönwall. They have five children:- Zeid bin Ra'ad, Jordanian diplomat, served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018. He married to Sarah Butler. They have 3 children: Ra'ad bin Zeid, Hala bint Zeid and Azizah bint Zeid.
- Mired bin Ra'ad, married to Dina Khalifeh. They have 3 children: Shirin bint Mir'ed, Rakan bin Mir'ed and Jafar bin Mir'ed.
- Firas bin Ra'ad, married to Dana Nabil Toukan. They have 3 children: Safa bint Firas, Haya bint Firas and Hashem bin Firas.
- Faisal bin Ra'ad, graduated from Brown University, and married to. She worked with MSNBC NBC News in Baghdad covering the Iraq War. She's the daughter of Jordanian businessman Munjid Sukhtian, of the Sukhtian pharmaceutical business family. They have 3 children: Hanan bin Faisal, Mariam bint Faisal and Hussein bin Faisal.
- Fakhrelnissa bint Ra'ad, graduated from Brown University in 2002 and University College London in 2004. Artist known as Nissa Raad. She married in 2005. She has 3 children: Radwan Hajjar, Faisal Hajjar and Lana Hajjar.
Royal House of Iraq
Prince Ra'ad's position as the head of the Royal House of Iraq was in contention with Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein who was another pretender to the Iraqi throne and the leader of the Iraqi Constitutional Monarchy, until the latter's death on 14 March 2022.Honour
- Jordan: Collar of the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali
- Malaysia: Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm .
- Italian Republic: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
- Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star