At a remarkedly young age Princess Salma bint Abdullah II of Jordan – who is celebrated for her military success, and attributed as being the first female jet pilot in the Jordanian Armed Forces – is undoubtedly a prominent young member of the country’s ruling family.
Carrying the name of her lineage forward, the young princess has showcased unwavering support and dedication towards Jordan’s progress. Belonging to the Hashemite family, she is part of one of the world’s oldest ruling dynasties.
As she continues to carry out her royal duties, Bazaar Arabia brings you everything you need to know about Princess Salma.
She Has Three Siblings
The princess was born on September 26, 2000. The third of His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah’s four children and the second daughter, she is 23 years old.
She has two elder siblings – brother, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, who is currently Jordan’s heir apparent and her sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Abdullah II. The princess also has a younger brother, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, who is five years younger and was born in 2005.
She (Almost) Shares Her Birthday With Her Sister, Princess Iman
The royal sisters, Princess Iman and Salma celebrate their birthdays just one day apart. Her elder sister was born on 27 September 1996.
Due to the proximity of their birthdays, Queen Rania often shares a joint post wishing the princesses to mark their birthdays.
The caption from last year’s post read: “My whole heart! Happy birthday to my sweet daughters, I cherish you more and more every day.”
She Is The First Female Jet Pilot In The Jordanian Armed Forces
Following the footsteps of many of her family members, she attended Royal Military College, Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, and graduated from it after completing a short training course in November 2018, when she was 18-years-old.
In 2020, the Royal Court announced that Princess Salma had passed basic training as a fixed-wing pilot, the first Jordanian woman to do so.
Jordan's King Abdullah II presented his daughter, Princess Salma, with her wings after she completed pilot training with the Jordan Armed Forces, according to a press release by the Royal Hashemite Court. pic.twitter.com/xllvAge4NS
— Sondos ElGebaly | ARA (@A_RoyalAgency) January 9, 2020
Her father, King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces pinned the badge to his daughter’s military uniform.
She Has Been Part Of Gaza Aid Flights
In December 2023, Princess Salma, as a first lieutenant in the Royal Jordanian Air Force, joined an aid flight to resupply the 41-bed Jordanian field hospital in northern Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
She Studied Archaeology
In May 2023, the Princess graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology.
Image Courtesy of Instagram/@queenrania and @rhcjo
