About HRH Princess Basma

For nearly thirty years Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan has worked nationally, regionally and internationally to promote a range of global issues, most notably in the areas of human development, gender equity, and the well-being and development of children. Princess Basma plays an active advocacy role through various forums, such as the United Nations, contributing to global strategies on health, education, population, the environment, and the advancement of women. Her Royal Highness is particularly involved with supporting the implementation of sustainable development programmes that address the social and economic needs of marginalized groups.

Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal was born in Amman, Jordan, on May 11, 1951, to His Majesty King Talal bin Abdullah and Her Majesty Queen Zein Al Sharaf. Her Royal Highness is the only sister of His Majesty the late King Hussein, and Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mohammed and Prince Al Hassan.

Princess Basma is married to Walid Al Kurdi and has two daughters and two sons: Farah (March 25, 1971), Ghazi (July 21, 1974), Saad (November 8, 1982) and Zein Al Sharaf (June 1, 1986).

Princess Basma received her primary education at the Ahliyyah School in Amman, and then joined Benenden School in England. She went on to specialize in languages at Oxford University. In addition to Arabic, she is fluent in English, speaks French and has studied Spanish.

In May 2001, Princess Basma was awarded a DPhil degree from Oxford University. Her thesis entitled, "Contextualising development in Jordan: the arena of donors, state and NGOs," examines the evolution of Jordan's development process as shaped by political and economic factors. Within this context, the thesis traces the growth of civil society entities, particularly those working in social development, and as they respond to conditions at the local, national and international levels.

(Reprinted with permission from Princess Basma’s website.)