Biography

HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan
HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan

Princess Firyal of Jordan has been involved from a very young age in efforts directed towards promoting education, cultural activities, in Jordan and abroad. She became active in relief work in refugee camps after the wars in the region. She then chaired the Society of Rural Development in Jordan, working very closely with nomadic Bedouin tribes and farmers, and sought to increase literacy, to establish family planning programs, and to encourage local crafts.

The Princess was appointed to UNESCO as a Goodwill Ambassador in 1992 and later was appointed as Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO. Additionally, the Princess is involved in many other programs of UNESCO, especially those for the protection of world heritage, medical research and children’s education.

 

In cooperation with UNESCO, HRH Princess Firyal launched the International Hope Foundation for Street Children in 1994, working with mobile units of the Children’s Health Fund caring for the immediate needs of those children in shelters.

In 2005, the Princess was appointed a Global Education Ambassador and regularly participates in workshops, meetings, and fundraising in different places.

 

Board of Directors of the United Nations Association
Board of Directors of the United Nations Association

The Princess was elected to the Board of Directors of the United Nations Association in March, 2003, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Rescue Committee for Refugees based in New York and serves on the Dean’s Councils of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is a member of the International Council at Columbia University.

 

The Princess is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library, a Trustee of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and a member of the International Council of the Tate Modern in London. Princess Firyal was appointed a Minister Plenipotentiary by the government of Jordan in May, 2007 at the Jordanian Embassy in the U.S. at ambassadorial rank.

 

HRH Princess Firyal's Graduation
HRH Princess Firyal's Graduation

H.R.H. Princess Firyal was born in Jerusalem, the daughter of the late Farid Al-Rasheid, a prominent political leader and land owner, who served as a Minister in the Government and Senate in Jordan. Her mother, Farida, was a Chair of the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank of Jordan.

The Princess got married to H.R.H. Prince Mohammed of Jordan, the younger brother of the late H.M. King Hussein, and had two sons, Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Talal and Prince Ghazi, who both live and work in Jordan.

After her sons graduated, the Princess then returned to pursue her education at Columbia University where she received a graduate degree.