Biography

Born on the same date as Debbie Gibson.

Holds the rank of colonel in the Jordanian Armed Forces (9 June 2004).

She graduated from the American University in Cairo with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1991.

Has been Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1999.

Ranked #82 in Forbes magazine's 2007 "100 most powerful women in the world" list.

Being popular comes when you have everything. But to be liked, it means that you must be treating people with respect and you must be showing kindness toward them.

With my son, I make sure that he understands that he, at the end of the day, needs to be a decent guy. He needs to be compassionate and inclusive.

A mom part of me wants him (crown prince Hussein) to just have a normal life and just have the normal teenage experience and have friends and not have any pressure. But another part of me understands that by having the title, he can learn more about the people, the problems and the protocol of our country.

My virtual self can get closer to people easier than my real self. People sometimes think of queen as a title that's shrouded with protocol and formality, and for that reason sometimes people are not easily saying what they want to say. They're reluctant to express their opinions, and I kind of find that frustrating because I want to know what people really, really think.

It creates a space where titles mean little and people can just say what they want. It opens a window to my life and opens a window for me into other people's lives so I can see what people are thinking or what the sentiment out there is all about.

There's not really a day when I don't have anything to worry about. In addition to taking care of my family, there are also the 6 million people in my country that I have to think about, and I have to think about the issues of our country and everything that faces us.