Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (born 30 June 1976) is the second son of the present King of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah and his first wife, Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

Abdullah
Maciej Lang and Abdullah
Born (1976-06-30) 30 June 1976
Riffa, Bahrain
SpouseHessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa
Issue
Issue		Isa Al Khalifa
Salman Al Khalifa
Noora
Hessa
HouseAl Khalifa
FatherHamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa
MotherSabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa
ReligionIslam

Like all members of the royal family, Abdullah sits as a senior member of the civil judiciary.[1]

In addition to his government positions, Abdullah is chairman of the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Commission Internationale de Karting.[2]

Friendship with Michael Jackson

A long-time friend of American pop legend Michael Jackson, Abdullah loaned Jackson £2.2 million to pay legal fees after the singer was tried for child molestation in California in 2005. After a successful defense and the dismissal of all charges, Abdullah invited Jackson, his children, and his personal staff to stay in Bahrain; Jackson took him up on the invitation on 30 June 2005.[3][4]

As part of a plan to revive Jackson's career with the release of a new album,[5] after Hurricane Katrina Sheikh Abdullah suggested that Jackson record a song Abdullah had written as a charity single at a recording studio in London, "I Have This Dream".[6] Jackson undertook the recording session in London, but the single was never released through the co-owned record label 2 Seas Group. Jackson left Bahrain in May 2006 for Ireland.

In November 2008, after trying to recover from Jackson £4.7 million in costs that the singer had said were gifts, Abdullah sued the singer through the mutually agreed High Court in London.[7] Abdullah claims that despite having paid the $2.2 million (£1.5 million) cost for Jackson to record a song intended to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the singer failed to show up at the studio for the final recording and the song was never released. Bankim Thanki QC, representing Abdullah, told the High Court that the day after Jackson's criminal trial ended in California, he recorded one of the songs that Abdullah had wanted released as a charity single to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and that Abdullah felt "a strong sense of personal betrayal" after forming "a close personal relationship" with the singer.[7]

Marriage and children

Abdullah is married to Hessa bint Salman al Khalid Al Khalifa, who from 2002 to 2004 was a member of the Supreme Council for Women, and has been a permanent member of the Board since 2004. Since 2006, she has been the Executive Director of Injaz Bahrain, a Member of Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, and a member of the Young Arab Leaders of Bahrain.

Together Abdullah and Hessa have four children, two sons and two daughters:

  • Isa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Born 1999)
  • Noora bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2002)
  • Salman bin abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2008)
  • Hessa bint Abdulla bin Hamad al Khalifa (Born 2010)

Titles, styles and awards
Styles of
Abdullah bin Hamad
Reference styleHis Highness
Spoken styleYour Highness
Alternative styleSheikh

Titles and styles
  • 30 June 1976 – 14 February 2002: His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa
  • 14 February 2002 – present: His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa
gollark: It would be unlegal™ to *do* it, that is one of the rules.
gollark: I suppose we can't easily distinguish "not talking about it but doing it" and "not talking about or doing it".
gollark: What, just stops *talking about* it?
gollark: Allegedly.
gollark: Defining everything so *vaguely* results in even less "rule of law" than we have now with somewhat detailed rules.

References
  1. "History of the Judiciary". Kingdom of Bahrain, Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  2. "BMF's Chairman participates in regional meeting". Bahrain News Agency. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  3. "Michael Jackson 'in Bahrain trip'". BBC News. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  4. "Jackson settles down to his new life in the Persian Gulf". Gulf News. 28 January 2006. Archived from the original on 19 October 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2006.
  5. "Jackson to make album in Bahrain". BBC News. 19 April 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  6. "Sheikh 'planned Jackson revival'". BBC News. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  7. "Jackson 'too sick' for court case". BBC News. 18 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
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