Royals unmasked: King of Jordan's brutal assessment of wife laid bare
ROYAL King Abdullah II of Jordan gave a frank assessment of his wife just two years after they became the country's ruling monarchs.
The Queen meets with Jordan royals at Buckingham Palace
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan have ruled over the Middle Eastern nation for two decades. The pair ascended the throne unexpectedly in 1999 after Abdullah's father, King Hussein, announced that he would give the title to his son instead of his brother. Although Abdullah and Rania had been married for six years, neither had had any formal training on what it took to be the ruling monarchs.
They had, as a result, lived a normal life in relative obscurity in the US.
This played to their advantage, however, as Abdullah explained during a 60 Minutes Australia interview.
It came as he talked candidly about Rania, and spoke of how she brought a "unique" position to the role.
Abdullah was arguably brutal at times, though, as he stressed why Rania represented a break from the past.
He said: "I think Rania's unique point that makes the team strong is that she is a very articulate woman.
"But, she's an Arab woman, so you have an Arab Queen that speaks English fluently, that understands the issues, and is very intelligent.
"This is something that is maybe new in the West: that here is somebody who may be Princess to some people, but to others is an Arab, a Muslim, who is a very interesting character."
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Unlike other royal families around the world, Abdullah and Rania are actively engaged in global political discourse.
In January, Abdullah addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
He spoke about the importance of peace in the Middle East had on the rest of the world.
Rania has similarly focused on conflict in the region, her attention being on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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Despite her now being well-positioned in the role, Rania previously voiced concerns over her ability to fulfil the title of Queen of Jordan.
Earlier on in the interview, filmed in 2001, she said: "I always had moments of doubts.
"I think that's healthy because feeling over-confident can be a very dangerous thing.
"You have to push yourself.
"I think we all have it in us. We just really have to reach out and try to get to that part that can shine through."
Jordan's next King was meant to be Abdullah's uncle, Prince Hassan.
Abdullah had therefore grown up living a "normal" life working in the military.
In 1999, Abdullah's father, King Hussein, became severely ill and was flown to the US to receive emergency treatment.
He returned terminally ill and announced he intended to transfer the title to his son.
Within three weeks Abdullah went from never expecting to rule over Jordan to frantically preparing for the biggest role of his life.
The pair have four children together.
Their eldest son, Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan, will one day take over from his father as King.