HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan  

Her Royal Highness was born in Calcutta on the 24th of July 1947 to a prominent family of the Indian subcontinent. Her father, the late Mohammad Ikramullah, K.C.M.G., H.Pk., was a senior member of the Indian Civil Service in the Government of India prior to Partition and represented the country in many international fora. He then joined Jinnah's Partition Committee, later becoming Pakistan's first Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Canada, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom. His last post was Chairman of the Commonwealth Economic Committee. Her mother, the late Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, was a writer and was Pakistan's first woman member of Parliament. Begum Ikramullah also served as Ambassador to Morocco and several times a delegate to the United Nations. The Princess lived in all the countries to which her parents were posted but mainly received her education in Britain.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath married in Karachi on the 28th of August 1968. Their Royal Highnesses live in one of the oldest houses in Amman and have four children; Their Royal Highnesses Princess Rahma, Princess Sumaya, Princess Badiya and Prince Rashid and six grandchildren, Zein El Sharaf, Tariq, Ali, Sukayna, Aysha and Aref.

Her Royal Highness Princess Sarvath served Jordan for over 30 years, as the wife of The Crown Prince. The Princess initiated, sponsored, and continues to support many projects and activities in Jordan, mainly in the field of education, in addition to issues pertaining to women and the family, social welfare and health.

Her Royal Highness was appointed patron of the Young Muslim Women's Association (YMWA) in 1972. In 1974, the YMWA established the Centre for Special Education, which is regarded as a pioneer in the Middle East for the care and education of persons with mental disabilities. The success of the Centre for Special Education led to the opening of a Sheltered Workshop in 1987. The Workshop provides a safe training environment and employment for both graduates of the pre-vocational section of the Centre for Special Education, and other persons with mental disabilities. The Workshop is also recognized as a regional centre of excellence by the ILO in its field. The Princess Sarvath Community College was founded in 1980, also under the umbrella of the YMWA, to provide young women from financially disadvantaged backgrounds with the skills needed to earn an independent livelihood. The Early Childhood Education programme at the College was the first in Jordan, focusing on teacher training and curriculum development through a series of well attended workshops. The National Centre for Learning Difficulties is another project that has evolved into a national programme since its establishment at the College in 1993. It is the hope and intention of the YMWA and their Canadian partners that the centre eventually serves as a regional facility.

Princess Sarvath was a member of the Council of Foundation of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). Her Royal Highness founded the Amman Baccalaureate School in 1981 and continues to Chair its Board of Trustees. This independent, non-profit, co-educational school provides students with an education of the highest international standards, while remaining firmly rooted in the Arab Islamic heritage and culture. The ABS is a flagship for the IB programmes in the Middle East. The school continues to serve as a catalyst, positively contributing to the development of both the public and the private Jordanian educational systems. Many programmes developed within the school such as the El Hassan Youth Award (formerly 'The Crown Prince Award') have been adopted nationally.

In 1991 in the wake of the Gulf War, Princess Sarvath personally spearheaded an international appeal which raised over one million dollars worth of medicines and medical supplies for Jordan and Iraq. Her Royal Highness continues through her personal contacts in Europe and elsewhere, to be a channel through which medical and nutritional donations are distributed throughout Jordan. The Princess, in her capacity both as the President of the YMWA and as the Honorary Vice President of the Jordan Red Crescent, also initiated many successful local appeals. The most recent of these was in 1999, when the YMWA raised 17 tons of assistance for the Kosovo refugees. Her Royal Highness was Honorary Vice President of the Jordan Red Crescent Society from1994 until 2004, having been appointed in 1991 by Her Majesty the Late Queen Zein El Sharaf to take over Her Majesty's role as head of the Ladies Branch. The Princess is President of the Centre for Phonetics Research at the University of Jordan, which deals with speech and hearing disorders; Patron of The Malath Foundation for Humanistic Care, which provides palliative care for the terminally ill; and is also Patron of the Jordanian Charity Association for Phenylketonuria and the Jordanian Osteoporosis Prevention Society.

Her Royal Highness is Chairwoman of the 'El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Academic Excellence' committee and also chaired the National Selection Committee, for the John F. Kennedy School of Government Middle East Educational Fellowship. A former member of the International Board of the United World Colleges, the Princess established the Jordanian United World Colleges National Selection Committee, and chaired the committee for fourteen years until September 1995. Princess Sarvath actively supports the participation of young Jordanians in other creative exchange programmes, as exemplified in the performance of "Peace Child" which Her Royal Highness brought to Amman in 1992. This production brought together 400 children from 14 countries.

Her Royal Highness was for several years a member of the International Council of the UK based Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), and was a member of the Council of UNESCO's International Fund for the Promotion of Culture, through which Her Royal Highness set up the UNESCO-Sarvath El Hassan Bursaries for Culture and Art. This fund provided Arab artists with the opportunity to broaden their skills and enrich their vision through periods of residency and training at centres of excellence in different parts of the world.

In 1995, Princess Sarvath received the "Woman of Peace Award", granted by the Rome-based 'Together for Peace' Foundation, in recognition of her deep commitment to the promotion of education and, through a wide range of programmes, helping persons with mental and learning disabilities and disadvantaged women, and encouraging community service. His Majesty the late King Hussein bestowed upon the Princess the Grand Cordon of the Jewelled Order of the Renaissance (Al Nahda) in August 1994, and she received the Abu Bakr Al Sadik Medal from the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies in September 1996. Princess Sarvath also holds decorations from other countries, including 'Hilal-i-Imtiaz' award from Pakistan, and most recently the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from the University of New Brunswick. His Majesty the late King Hussein had also entrusted Her Royal Highness with the development and renovation of the Martyrs' Memorial site and the establishment of a public park in honour of Jordan's martyrs.

Her Royal Highness has addressed many fora locally and internationally on issues related to Islamic culture and values, health, women, education, the family, children and refugees. The Princess has accompanied her husband His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal on official visits to over thirty countries.

Princess Sarvath speaks Arabic, Urdu, English and French. She enjoys reading, embroidery and cooking. The Princess is a keen gardener, who takes pleasure in looking after a large garden and her many pets. Her Royal Highness's outdoor interests include many forms of exercise including skiing. The Princess is Honorary President of the Jordanian Badminton Federation and was herself the first woman in Jordan to receive a black belt in Taekwondo.