Update: A year after Jordan's Prince Hamzah was accused of plotting to undermine the rule of King Abdullah II and placed under house arrest, the prince has lost his title. He made the announcement Sunday on Twitter, the AP reports, saying he relinquished "prince" because his values "are not in line with the approaches, trends and modern methods of our institutions." Palace officials said he had apologized last month for working against his half-brother, though he denied the allegations when he was arrested. Details of the allegations have never been made public. Our story from November follows:
A Jordanian prince who was put under house arrest by his half-brother, King Abdullah II, in the spring is still not free, his mother alleged Wednesday, per the AP. The rift between Abdullah and Prince Hamzah erupted in April, when the king confined the popular younger royal to his home, alleging he had conspired with others to destabilize the kingdom. Hamzah denied the claims and alleged corruption at the highest levels. Despite declaring loyalty to the king, he hasn't been seen in public for months. The king has said the matter is being dealt with by the family, and that Hamzah is under his care. Hamzah's purported co-conspirators were convicted of sedition by Jordan's state security court this summer and each sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Late Wednesday, Hamzah's mother Noor, a former queen, made a rare public comment about the scandal in a tweet marking the birthday of her granddaughter Zein. "[God willing], her father will be justly freed ASAP, and able to provide a natural, hopeful and uplifting and genuine Jordanian upbringing for her and all the family," wrote Noor, the fourth wife of the late King Hussein, Abdullah's father. She has lived outside Jordan for years, mostly in the United States, and did not provide details about Hamzah's situation. Hamzah's role in the royal rift has been at the center of clashing narratives. He is either a popular champion of ordinary Jordanians suffering from economic mismanagement and corruption, or a disgruntled royal who never forgave Abdullah for taking away his title of crown prince in 2004.
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