AMMAN (Middle East Eye) – Jordan says that King Abdullah II had received a letter of apology from Prince Hamzah, who last year was accused of conspiring to destabilize the country and remove its longtime monarch.
In the letter, released by the official Jordan News Agency, Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother, wrote that he made “a mistake” and that he took responsibility for the “abuses I have taken against [the king] and our country”.
“Last year, our dear Jordan, passed through a difficult circumstance and an unfortunate chapter,” Prince Hamzah, crown prince until 2004, wrote. “The months that have passed since that time have provided me with an opportunity for self-reflection, and frankness with myself… I made a mistake.
“As I bear my national responsibility for the attitudes and abuses I have taken against his majesty the king and our country during the past years and the events that followed in the case of sedition, I hope for your forgiveness, which we are so accustomed to from your majesty… I apologize to your majesty, the Jordanian people, and our family for all these behaviors, which will not be repeated.”
Last April, Prince Hamzah was detained at home in Amman after being accused of fomenting unrest in the kingdom, although the government denied he had been arrested.
Jordanian authorities arrested at least 16 people in relation to the alleged plot, which exposed deep rifts within the royal family and rocked the kingdom’s image as a bastion of stability and security in a volatile region.
In statements following the arrests, King Abdullah said the crisis was “the most painful” because it came partially from inside the royal family.
The monarchy tried to limit speculation over a wider dispute between royals, with the king saying Hamzah’s case was being handled as a private matter within the Hashemite family.
“We asked him to stop activities and movements that are used against Jordan’s stability,” the Jordanian army said in a statement.
Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and senior ex-official Bassem Awadallah, were also arrested and labeled as the plot’s masterminds.
Prince Hamzah, the son of late King Hussein and his last wife, Queen Noor, is a well-known figure who has reportedly been critical of the Hashemite monarchy under his half-brother’s reign.
The exact whereabouts of Prince Hamzah is not known.