Princess Firyal[2] (née Firyal Irshaid Arabic: فريال إرشيد, born 1945) is a Jordanian humanitarian and philanthropist.
| Princess Firyal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Firyal Irshaid 1945 (age 78–79) Jerusalem,[1] Mandatory Palestine |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| Father | Farid Mahmoud Irshaid |
| Mother | Farida Irshaid |
She became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992,[3][4] working on programs for education and protection of world heritage. She is a board member at the International Rescue Committee (IRC),[5] New York Public Library,[6] and a wide range of museums and universities, including the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Irshaid is a graduate of Columbia University.[7] From 1964 to 1978, she was married to Prince Muhammad bin Talal—younger brother of King Hussein of Jordan—by whom she has two sons, Prince Talal and Prince Ghazi.
Biography
editEarly life and education
edit
Born in Jerusalem,[1] Firyal Irshaid is the daughter of the late Sayyid Farid Mahmoud Irshaid, a political leader who served as a minister in the government and a parliamentarian in the Jordan Senate. Her mother Farida was chairwoman of the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank.[8]
Irshaid attended Berzeit College. She studied for two years at the American College for Women in Beirut before her marriage; she resumed her studies and earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University School of General Studies in 1999.[9]
Career
editIrshaid was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992.[10] Three years later, in 1995, she was appointed Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO. She works primarily on programs for protection of world heritage and education.[11]
In Jordan, Irshaid became active in relief work in refugee camps. She worked for the literacy programs with the nomadic Bedouin tribes. She also established the family planning program.[12]
Irshaid launched the International Hope Foundation under the UNESCO umbrella in 1994 for the benefit of homeless and street children.[13]
Irshaid's philanthropic positions and credentials include:
- Board of Directors of the United Nations Association in March, 2003.[14]
- Board of Trustees of the International Rescue Committee based in New York.[5]
- International Council at Columbia University[15]
- Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library[16]
- Trustee of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris[17]
- International Council of the Tate Modern in London[18]
- Minister Plenipotentiary by the government of Jordan in May 2007 at the Jordanian Embassy as U.S. Ambassador[19]
- Museum of Modern Art Board of Chairman Council of MOMA.[20]
- Guggenheim Museum Member of the Middle Eastern Circle[21]
Personal life
editIrshaid was married to Prince Muhammad bin Talal, with whom she had sons Prince Talal bin Muhammad and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, between 1964 and 1978. After their marriage ended in divorce, she dated Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos and later became the longtime companion of American banker Lionel Pincus.[22] After Pincus's death there were allegations by his sons, Henry and Matt Pincus, claiming Firyal had taken advantage of Pincus's deteriorating mental and physical state by spending extravagant sums.[23]
Honours
edit
Jordan :
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the State Centennial (24 January 2022)[24]
Malaysia : Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (24 April 1965)[25][26]
References
edit- ^ a b "Her Royal Highness Princess of Jordan's Biography". Princessfiryal.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "Statement from the Royal Hashemite Court". The Royal Hashemite Court. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "UNESCO – Official Site of Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal of Jordan". Princessfiryal.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "H.R.H. Princess Firyal of Jordan | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". Unesco.org. 2005-07-06. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ a b "IRC Board of Directors and Overseers | International Rescue Committee (IRC)". Rescue.org. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "New York Public Library – Official Site of Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal of Jordan". Princessfiryal.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "Teachers for gender equality - Princess Firyal , Jordan | Basic education - UNESCO Multimedia Archives". Unesco.org. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan's biography, work and life". Princessfiryal.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "Princess Firyal's Class Act". School of General Studies News. June 1999. Archived from the original on July 17, 2001. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
- ^ "HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education for All, visits UNESCO's Office in New Delhi - Personalidades eminentes | UNESCO.org". Portal.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "HRH Princess Firyal meets with the Director-General to discuss education issues". UNESCO Portal. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016.
- ^ "OLogy". Amnh.org. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
- ^ FIRYAL. "HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan's letter about the International Hope Foundation". Princess Firyal. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
- ^ "United Nations Association of the United States of America". SourceWatch. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "GS Mourns the Passing of Lionel Pincus | General Studies". Gs.columbia.edu. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "About the Map Division | the New York Public Library". Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
- ^ "Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal". UNESCO. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "Tate Report : 2012/13". Tate.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan's biography, work and life". Princessfiryal.org. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
- ^ Colacello, Bob. "The Met vs. MoMA: New York's Art Museums at War". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "Richard Armstrong interview: Guggenheim's director on its projects in Helsinki, Abu Dhabi and back home in New York". Theartnewspaper.com. 2015-06-14. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ Barbanel, Josh (2008-09-19). "A Royal Ruckus". The New York Times. p. RE2. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ "Lionel Pincus's Sons Take Their Father's Princess to Court". Vanity Fair. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ^ Arabian Royal Agency [@A_RoyalAgency] (24 January 2022). "Jordan's King Abdullah II grants HRH Princess @FiryalOfJordan the first State Centenary order and Medal in appreciation for HRH work and devotion to Jordan" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 March 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1965" (PDF).
- ^ New York Media, LLC (1997-07-21). New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. p. 29. Retrieved 2017-05-25 – via Internet Archive.