Princess Muna al-Hussein

Princess Muna Al-Hussein (born Toni Avril Gardiner; 25 April 1941) is the mother of King Abdullah II of Jordan. She was the second wife of King Hussein; the couple divorced on 21 December 1972. She is British by birth, and changed her name to Muna Al-Hussein upon marriage.

Muna
Princess Muna with sons Faisal and Abdullah (right) in 1964
Princess consort of Jordan
Tenure25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972
BornToni Avril Gardiner
(1941-04-25) 25 April 1941
Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England
Spouse
Hussein of Jordan
(m. 1961; div. 1972)
IssueAbdullah II of Jordan
Prince Faisal
Princess Aisha
Princess Zein
HouseHashemite (by marriage)
FatherWalter Percy Gardiner
MotherDoris Elizabeth Sutton

Early life

Muna Al-Hussein was born Antoinette Avril Gardiner in Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Sutton) and Walter Percy "Tony" Gardiner. She attended Bourne School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was administered by the British Families Education Service for the children of British service personnel stationed overseas, where she was an A-grade field hockey player. The school closed when British forces withdrew from Malaya.

Gardiner's father was a British Army officer who finished his career with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was the son of Arthur Gardiner, a gamekeeper. He joined the Royal Engineers at the age of 17, and was stationed in Mandatory Palestine for 18 months in the 1930s. He later served in France, North Africa, and Italy during World War II.[1][2]

Marriage and children

Gardiner met the King of Jordan, Hussein, while working as a secretarial assistant on the film set of Lawrence of Arabia. The King had allowed his troops to work as extras on this film and would occasionally visit to monitor the production's progress. However, there is another report, stating that Gardiner and the King met when her father began to work as a military adviser in Jordan.[2]

Gardiner married King Hussein in Amman, Jordan, on 25 May 1961. The Jordanian constitution requires that any heir to the throne be born of a legitimate couple, and both parents should be Muslims.[3] She kept the title Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein after the divorce. Together they had four children:

They were divorced on 21 December 1972. After her divorce, she was allowed to keep the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Jordan. She continues to work and live in Jordan.

Causes and activities

She is involved in the development of nursing in Jordan, founding the Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing.[4] In 1962, she founded the Princess Muna College of Nursing, now the Princess Muna College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.[5]

Honours

National

Foreign

References
  1. "Lieutenant-Colonel Tony Gardiner". The Telegraph. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. Ewing, Richard (5 February 1999). "Prince's secretary mum who married a king". Coventy Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  3. Chapter VI Part I, Article 28th of The Jordanian Constitution
  4. Princess Muna Scholarship Fund for Nursing Archived 22 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Kafd.jo. Retrieved on 28 July 2015.
  5. "Princess Muna College". jrms.gov.jo. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  6. Princess Muna wearing the Orders of the Supreme Renaissance and of the Republic
  7. Tripod
  8. Pinimg
  9. Iran Collection
  10. Pinimg
  11. Iran Politics Club
  12. "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1965" (PDF).
  13. Romania Regala
  14. Romania Regala
  15. Romania Regala
  16. Youtube
  17. Order of the Republic
Royal titles
Preceded by
Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid
as queen consort		 Princess consort of Jordan
25 May 1961 – 21 December 1972		 Succeeded by
Alia al-Hussein
as queen consort
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