Jordan's Royal Rift

The man who spent his life preparing to sit on the Hashemite throne was absent when the new monarch began greeting his subjects.

The death of King Hussein did more than shake up his nation. It rattled the royal family to the core.

At the center of the storm is Hussein's brother, 51-year-old Prince Hassan, who had been groomed as the royal heir for more than three decades. Then a quarrel over succession left Hassan out in the cold last month when the ailing Hussein picked his son, Abdullah, to take the throne after his death.

After Hussein died Sunday and King Abdullah took power, the family publicly united for the funeral.

But Hassan's decision to stay away from the greeting ceremony Tuesday could show cracks emerging and has made some people nervous after 46 years of steadfast rule under Hussein.

"There is no room for any family rift because that will imperil national security and disturb the personal interests of the royal family," said former Cabinet minister Jamal Shaer.

There is little chance of serious challenges since the military is loyal to Abdullah, 37, a career officer. Yet Jordanians grow quickly uneasy over any royal discord in their tiny desert kingdom with an unmatched record of stability in the volatile Middle East.

"The monarchy here allows for one head of state, not two," said political analyst Labib Kamhawi. "Hassan's options are simple and clear: Either to stay in the country quietly or leave."

Hassan's world came crashing down in the span of a few hours on Jan. 26. Hussein sent Hassan an angry letter of dismissal, accusing him of power-grabbing and fabricating "lies and gossip" about his family.

Palace sources said Hussein was referring to false allegations that his wife, Queen Noor, had an out-of-wedlock child before marriage and that she was maneuvering to have her son, Hamzeh, replace Hassan as the crown prince, as he ultimately did.

At Hussein's funeral Monday, Hassan and his 19-year-old son Rashid were virtually the only immediate members of the family who did not wear the traditional mourning headdress.

Hassan stood silently, staring at the ceiling of the ornate throne chamber in Raghdan Palace, as other members of the family tearfully shook hands with heads of state and dignitaries paying respects.

Hassan's Pakistani-born wife, Princess Sarvath, and their three daughters were not present at the funeral. Hassan's daughters did not visit their uncle the king in his sickbed at an Amman hospital in his last days, when all the other royal family members were in constant attendance.

A palace source, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said it has been a "most strenuous time" for Hassan because of the loss of his brother and "the swift changes that ensued."

Hassan has been cloistered in the library of his modest Amman home reading books until late at night, the source added.

In an emotional letter to Abdullah read Tuesday night on Jordan Television, Hassan pledged his support for the king and his crown prince.

"I vow in front of God, the nation, and our great people to support you and be a brother to your majesty and your crown prince," Hassan wrote.

There have been suggestions that Abdullah who was sworn in as king only three hours after Hussein's death would appoint Hassan as a chief adviser to primarily oversee economic development in Jordan.

But it was not immediately clear if Hassan would accept a post that would require working under his nephew, 18-year-old Prince Hamzeh. As crown prince, Hamzeh is now No. 2 under King Abdullah, responsible for the country's affairs when Abdullah is away.

Hamzeh is Hussein's son from his fourth wife, American-born Lisa Halaby, who adopted the name of Noor al-Hussein Arabic for "Light of Hussein" after converting to Islam before she married the king in 1978.

Noor had ruffled the feathers of Hassan's family for showcasing Hamzeh and grooming him for the throne in recent years, the royal palace sources said.

Noor will keep her title as queen even if King Abdullah decides to bestow the title on his wife, Princess Rania, as well. Jordan can have more than one queen.

By Jamal Halaby