Any king can claim to be a warrior but only a few these days actually are. Some may claim to have seen action but a few actually have. It may come as a surprise that a small country like Jordan has a leader who is not only a ruler on the throne but also a warrior in the field.
After the recent burning of pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, The Royal Hashemite Court's official Facebook page recently released a photo of king Abdullah II, clad in military fatigue in response to the attack by ISIS.
But what do we actually know about the warrior king? The majesty's official profile states that King Abdullah II assumed his responsibilities and legitimate powers as monarch on Feb. 7, 1999 and that he comes from 41st generation direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.
The King's educational background is extensive, staring at the Islamic Educational College in Amman to St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England. He later completed his high school education at Deerfield Academy in the U.S. The King also attended Pembroke College, Oxford and Georgetown University to pursue advance studies.
His military career began in 1980 when he enrolled in the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, U.K. In 1981 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and became part of the British Army's 13/18th Royal Hussars Regiment as a reconnaissance troop leader in the United Kingdom and Germany.
In 1985 the Prince returned to Jordan to serve in the Armoured Corps, 3rd Division of Jordan's armed forces. He also served as attachment to the Special Forces and became skilled as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot. In November 1993 he became commander of Jordan's Special Forces. And in 1998 he was promoted to major general.
Truly, this monarch maintains an active lifestyle. Past to present activities and interests range from free-fall parachuting, rally racing, scuba diving, his science fiction interest led this ruler to humbly play a walk-on part in one Star Trek episode, and he also maintains a world-class military artifacts collection.
