Jordan's Prince Hamzah sends apology to brother King Abdullah II after sedition scandal

Letter signed by Prince Hamzah bin Hussein stresses his loyalty to king and crown prince

King Abdullah II of Jordan, left, and Prince Hamzah in April 2, 2001. AFP

Jordan's Royal Court published on Tuesday an apology letter it said came from the half-brother of King Abdullah II who feuded with the monarch last year.

State media said in April that Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was trying to destabilise the kingdom and was involved in a plot that threatened the throne.

"In a letter dated earlier this week, that the past months had afforded him the opportunity for self-reflection and compelled him to write to His Majesty, the elder brother, expressing his hope to turn the page on that chapter in the country’s and the family’s history," a statement from the Royal Court read.

"Prince Hamzah’s acknowledgment of his mistake and apology represent a step in the right direction on the path to regaining his role as other Royal family members, in the service of Jordan based on the duties assigned to them by the King," it continued.

The prince has not been seen in public for 10 months.

“I committed an error, Your Majesty,” says the letter addressed to the king, which was signed and dated March 6.

“I bear responsibility for the stances I have taken and the offences I have committed against Your Majesty and our country over the past years, culminating in the events of the sedition case,” the letter says.

“I apologise to Your Majesty and to the Jordanian people for all these behaviours, that will not be repeated.”

The royal feud broke out a few weeks after the prince met tribes in central Jordan in a move regarded as being directed against the king.

The meeting took place in Al Salt, where nine coronavirus patients died at the city’s government hospital in March last year because of an oxygen shortage. The deaths sparked protests across Jordan demanding the resignation of the government.

Two people linked to Prince Hamzah were convicted of sedition and sentenced in July to 15-year jail terms. A security court handled the case.

The men jailed were Bassem Awadallah, former chief of the Royal Court, and Sharif Hassan, a member of the royal family.