1921 - 1933 H.M. Faisal I, King of Iraq, GCB (c 20.6.1933), GCMG (1.1.1927), Royal Victorian Chain (12.12.1918). b. at Taif, Arabia 20th May 1883, fourth son of H.M. Hussein ibn 'Ali, Caliph al-Islam, King of the Hijaz, Commander of the Faithful, Grand Sharif and Amir of Mecca, GCB, by his first wife, Sharifa Abidiya Khanum, eldest daughter of H.H. Amir 'Abdu'llah Kamil Pasha, Grand Sharif of Mecca, educ. privately and at the Ghalata Serai Coll, Istanbul, Turkey. Senator for the City of Jeddah in the Ottoman Parliament 1913-1916, Hijaz Minister for the Interior 1916-1920, C-in-C Arab Northern Army and leader of the forces in the Arab Revolt 1916-1919, laid siege to and liberated the City of Medina from the Turks, then assisted the allied forces in taking Jerusalem in 1917 and the conquest of Damascus and Syria in 1918, Leader of the Arab delegation to the International Peace Conference at Versailles 1919. Proclaimed as King of Syria by the Arab Grand Committee, at Damascus, 8th March 1920. Deposed by the French and forced to leave the country 27th July 1920. He temporarily settled in England before going on to Basra, in the then British League of Nations Mandated Territory of Mesopotamia, 23rd June 1921. Proclaimed as King of Iraq at Baghdad on 23rd August 1921, following a plebiscite amongst the Iraqi people. Proclaimed the independence of the Kingdom of Iraq, 14th December 1927. Field Marshal Royal Iraq Army and Admiral of the Fleet Royal Iraqi Navy. Colonel-in-Chief The Royal Bodyguard and the Hashimi Regiment. Founder and Grand Master of the Honourable Order of the Two Rivers (Wissam al-Imtiaz al-Rafidain) on 22nd March 1927, the Grand Order of the Hashimites (Wissam al-Kabir al-Hashimi) and the Order of Faisal I (Wissam al-Faisal al-Awwal) in 1932. Rcvd: GC of the Orders of the Renaissance (1917) and Independence (1921), Ma'an Medal (1918), and Medal of Independence (1921) of the Hijaz, the Collar of the Order of Muhammad 'Ali of Egypt (1.10.1926), Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi of Iran (26.4.1932), GC of the Orders of the Legion of Honour of France (1918), Crown of Italy (1918), Leopold of Belgium (mil 15.3.1930), etc. m. at Istanbul, Turkey, 1904, H.M. Queen Huzaima (b. at Mecca, 1885; d. at Baghdad, 27th March 1935, bur. there at the Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya), younger twin daughter of H.H. Prince Nasser bin 'Ali Pasha. He d. from heart failure, at Berne, Switzerland, 8th September 1933 (bur. Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya, Iraq), having had issue one son and three daughters:
1) H.R.H. Crown Prince (Wali al-Ahd) Ghazi, who succeeded as H.M. Ghazi I, King of Iraq - see below.
1) H.R.H. Princess (Amira) Azza. b. at Constantinople, Turkey, 1906. Received into the Greek Orthodox faith, 1936. Deprived of her title of Princess and style of RoyalHighness on her marriage, but had these restored to her in 1947. m. at Athens, Greece, 27th May 1936 in a marriage not recognized by Iraqi law (sep. 1939 and div. at Rome, Italy, 1943) Anastassios Haralambides (b. at Rhodes, 1912), sometime hotel waiter. She d. at Amman, Jordan, March 1968 (bur. there at the Royal Mausoleum, Raghadan Palace).
2) H.R.H. Princess (Amira) Rajiha. b. at Constantinople, Turkey, 1907. m. at Qasr al-Rihab, Harithiya, Baghdad, 1937, Abd al-Jabbar Mahmud Altai, sometime Flight Lieutenant RIAF. She d. at Lausanne, Switzerland, 1st February 1959 (bur. Royal Mausoleum, Raghadan Palace, Amman, Jordan), having had issue, two daughters:
a) Husaima [H.H. Sharifa Huzeima Nasser], CVO (19.7.1966). Lady in Waiting to Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan. m. Sharif Ghazi bin Rakan Nasser (b. at Cairo, Egypt, 1939), son of Sharif Rakan bin Nasser. She had issue, one son and three daughters - see Hijaz.
b) Nafisa. m. (div.) Dr David Frederick Horrobin (b. at Bolton, Lancs, 6th October 1939; m. second, Sherri Clarkson, and d. 1st April 2003, bur. Isle of Harris), educ. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Sch, Blackburn, King's Coll, Wimbledon, Balliol Coll, Oxford (MA, BM BCh 1968, DPhil 1968), and St Mary’s Hospital, London, Fellow at Magdalene Coll, Oxford 1963, Registrar Hexham General Hospital, Professor and Chair. Medical Physiology at Nairobi Univ 1969-1972, Reader in Medical Physiology at Newcastle Univ 1972-1975, Professor of Medicine Montreal Univ 1975-1979, Dir Efamol Ltd. 1979-1981, Efamol Research Inst. in Nova Scotia 1981-1987, CEO Scotia Holdings PLC 1987-1997, and Laxdale Ltd 1997-2003, author of "Science is God" (1969), "Principles of Biological Control" (1970), "A Guide to Kenya and Northern Tanzania" (1971), "The International Handbook of Medical Science" (1972), "Practical Physiology" (1979), "The Madness of Adam and Eve" (2002), editor of "Medical Hypothesis" etc, son of Frederick Horrobin, by his wife, Betty. She had issue, one son and one daughter.
3) H.R.H. Princess (Amira) Rafi'a. b. at Mecca, 1910. She d. unm. at the Qasr Abyiadh, Baghdad, 11th February 1934 (bur. there at the Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya).
1933 - 1939 H.M. Ghazi I, King of Iraq. b. at Mecca, Arabia, 21st March 1912, only son of H.M. Faisal I, King of Iraq, GCB, GCMG, Royal Victorian Chain, by his wife, H.M. Queen Huzaima, younger twin daughter of H.H. Prince (Amir) Nasser bin 'Ali Pasha, educ. privately in Baghdad, at Harrow Sch, Mdsx, and the Royal Military Coll, Baghdad. Appointed as Heir Apparent and Crown Prince, and invested with the title of Wali al-Ahd, at the Umm Habib Palace, Baghdad, 1924. Cmsnd as 2nd-Lieut Iraqi Army 1932, Hon ADC to King Faisal I 1932-1933. Appointed as Regent and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces on the departure of his father for Europe, 1933. Succeeded him on his death whilst abroad, 8th September 1933. Administered with the oath to the Constitution before the Iraqi Parliament, at Baghdad, on the same day. Field Marshal Royal Iraq Army, Admiral of the Fleet Royal Iraqi Navy, and Marshal of the Royal Iraqi Air Force 8/9/1933. Colonel-in-Chief The Royal Bodyguard and the Hashimi Regiment 8/9/1933-1939. Grand Master of the Grand Order of the Hashimites (Wissam al-Kabir al-Hashimi), the Order of Faisal I (Wissam al-Faisal al-Awwal) and the Honourable Order of the Two Rivers (Wissam al-Imtiaz al-Rafidain) 8/9/1933. Rcvd: the Grand Order of the Hashimites (1932), the Order of Faisal I (1932), Iraq Active Service Medal (1933), and the Iraq Flight Medal (1937), Knt of the Order of the Seraphim of Sweden (2.11.1934), Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi of Iran (X.8.1937), the Collar of the Order of Muhammad 'Ali of Egypt, GC of the Orders of the Renaissance (special class) and Independence of Jordan. m. at Baghdad, 25th January 1934, H.M. Queen Aliya (b. at Mecca, Arabia, 1911; d. at the Qasr al-Zuhoor, Um Al-Azzam, Baghdad, 21st December 1950, bur. there at the Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya), rcvd: the Grand Order of the Hashimites, second daughter of H.M. 'Ali bin Hussein, King of the Hijaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca, GBE, by his wife, H.M. Queen Nefissa, daughter of H.H. Amir 'Abdu'l-Ilah Pasha, Grand Sharif and Amir of Mecca. He d. at Qasr al-Rihab, Harithiya, Baghdad, from fatal head injuries received in a car crash earlier the same day, when he drove at high speed out of the gates of Qasr al-Zuhoor and into an electric lamp post, 4th April 1939 (bur. there at the Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya), having had issue an only son and successor:
1) H.R.H. Crown Prince (Wali al-Ahd) Faisal, who succeeded as H.M. Faisal II, King of Iraq - see below.
1939 - 1958 H.M. Faisal II, King of Iraq, GCVO (24.9.1952), Royal Victorian Chain (16.7.1956). b. at the Qasr al-Zuhoor, Um Al-Azzam, Baghdad, 2nd May 1935, only son of H.M. Ghazi I, King of Iraq, by his wife, H.M. Queen Aliya, second daughter of H.M. 'Ali bin Hussein, King of the Hijaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca, GBE, educ. privately in Baghdad, and at Harrow Sch, Mdsx. Appointed as Heir Apparent and Crown Prince, and invested with the title of Wali al-Ahd, at birth. Proclaimed as King on the sudden death of his father, 4th April 1939. Reigned under the Regency of his maternal uncle, Field Marshal H.R.H. Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah, GCB, GCMG, GCVO. Came of age and assumed full ruling powers by taking the oath to the Constitution before the Iraqi Parliament, at Baghdad, 2nd May 1953. Proclaimed as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Arab Federation (of the Hashimite Kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan), 14th February 1958. Field Marshal Royal Iraq Army, Admiral of the Fleet Royal Iraqi Navy, and Marshal of the Royal Iraqi Air Force 2/5/1953. Colonel-in-Chief The Royal Bodyguard and the Hashimi Regiment 4/4/1939-1958. Hon Air Vice-Marshal, RAF 2/5/1955. Grand Master of the Grand Order of the Hashimites (Wissam al-Kabir al-Hashimi), the Order of Faisal I (Wissam al-Faisal al-Awwal) and the Honourable Order of the Two Rivers (Wissam al-Imtiaz al-Rafidain), 4/4/1939. Author of “How to Defend Yourself” (1951), an Arabic book on judo and self defence. Rcvd: the Collar of the Orders of Hussein ibn 'Ali of Jordan (1953), and the Muhammadiya of Morocco (26.5.1956), the Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi of Iran (18.10.1957), GC of the Orders of the Renaissance (special class) and Independence of Jordan, Netherlands Lion (25.4.1953), Yoke and Arrows of Spain with collar (18.5.1956), and Leopold of Belgium (mil 16.7.1956), the Order of King Abdulaziz 1st class of Saudi Arabia (2.12.1957), Chief Cdr Legion of Merit of USA (16.8.1952), etc. He was k. (s.p.*) by the military plotters outside the Qasr al-Rihab, Harithiya, Baghdad, 14th July 1958 (bur. there in secret at the Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiya).
* Note: At the time of his murder, King Faisal II was engaged to H.H. Princess Sabiha Fazila Khanum Sultana, only daughter of H.H. Prince Damad Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim Bey Effendi of Egypt, by his wife, H.I.H. Princess Zahra Khanzadi Sultana, second daughter of Captain H.I.H. Prince Omar Faruk Effendi of Turkey.