AMMAN: Jordan’s Prince Hamzah has written to King Abdullah apologizing for his misconduct, admitting his mistakes, and seeking forgiveness for his involvement in the country’s high-profile sedition case.
In the letter, dated March 6, the prince, a half-brother of the Jordanian monarch, said that he took responsibility for his wrongdoings.
“I apologize to our Jordanian people and our family (Hashemite) for these mistakes,” Prince Hamzah wrote in the letter, a copy of which was received by Arab News.
The prince has not been seen in public since April last year following the government’s announcement of his involvement in the sedition case with former Royal Court chief Bassem Awadallah, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a distant relative of the royal family.
Convicted of attempting to undermine the regime, Awadallah and Bin Zaid were each sentenced by Jordan’s State Security Court to 15 years of hard labor after the hearing was told the pair had plotted to cause unrest and sedition by exploiting certain internal and external incidents.
“What happened was a criminal plotting from the suspects in fulfillment of their hidden desires and was targeting the existing regime. The court had clear and convincing evidence of the crime.”
Jordanian authorities said at the time that Awadallah, Bin Zaid, and Prince Hamzah were attempting to destabilize the country in collaboration with “foreign entities.”
On the directives of King Abdullah, the prince’s case was settled within the Hashemite family.
The Jordanian Royal Court published a letter signed by Prince Hamzah on April 3, in which he vowed allegiance to the monarch and confirmed that he would act “always for His Majesty and his crown prince to help and support.”
Declaring his love and appreciation for his eldest brother, Prince Hamzah vowed allegiance to King Abdullah in his latest letter, and said: “I write to Your Majesty with my deepest respect and appreciation, and I pray that God protect you and grant you good health and that you remain a pillar of strength for our nation and our family.
“I will follow in the footsteps of our forefathers, and remain loyal to their legacy, devoted to their path of service to the people of Jordan, and committed to our constitution, under Your Majesty’s wise leadership.
“I have erred, Your Majesty, and to err is human. I, therefore, bear responsibility for the stances I have taken and the offences I have committed against Your Majesty and our country … I seek Your Majesty’s forgiveness, knowing that you have always been very forgiving,” the prince added.
The Royal Court said on Tuesday that the letter was sent following a meeting between King Abdullah and Prince Hamzah on Sunday evening at the prince’s request, in the presence of Prince Feisal and Prince Ali.
It also described Prince Hamzah’s acknowledgment of his mistake and apology as a “step in the right direction on the path to regaining his role as other royal family members, in the service of Jordan.”
