Speaker Biographies

His Royal Highness El Hassan bin Talal

Prince of Jordan

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal is the younger brother of His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan. Prince El Hassan had served as King Hussein’s closest political advisor, confidant and deputy, and acted as regent in the king’s absence. He has been decorated by more than 20 nations, and holds the order of Al Husseinbin Ali, Jordan’s highest honor.

Prince El Hassan founded and is involved in a number of Jordanian and international institutes and committees. In Jordan, he chaired the committees overseeing the first four development plans. He founded the Royal Scientific Society in 1970, the annual Bilad Al-Sham Conference in 1978, and many other scientific conferences and institutions.

Prince El Hassan has chaired and been a member of a number of international committees and organizations, among them the Club of Rome, the Center for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Oklahoma International Programs Center, the International Board of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Prince El Hassan is the author or co-author of seven books: A Study on Jerusalem; Palestinian Self-Determination; Search for Peace; Christianity in the Arab World; Essere Musulmano; Continuity, Innovation and Change: Selected Essays; and In Memory of Faisal I: The Iraqi Question.

After early schooling in Amman, Prince El Hassan graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has also been recognized with honorary degrees from universities around the world, as well as numerous awards.