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A wave is rising of royals and ex-royals speaking out against their country’s ruling system, most notably from inside The Firm / The Institution/ The Royal Family in the UK and now, in what is supposed to be a fairly stable region in the Middle East, Jordan.

Jordan is confronting what might be its worst royal rift yet.

The country’s popular former prince, Hamzah bin Al Hussein, recently sent out a video claiming he was on house arrest, banned from any political activity, and without internet or phone lines.

In the video, he also criticises the country’s leadership and distances himself from any accusations of corruption.

Although, according to CNN, the Jordanian authorities released a statement shortly after Hamzah’s video to say that they had reacted to a “plot in which Hamzah was working in collusion with unnamed foreign entities to “destabilize” Jordan”.

Hamzah’s video:

There was also an arrest of 15 others, including one other member of the royal family and a high-profile political figure.

More from CNN:

Jordanians’ “well-being has been put second by a ruling system that has decided that its personal interests, financial interests, that its corruption is more important than the lives and dignity and future of the ten million people who live here,” said the prince.

It is interesting to note at this point, how Hamzah became the former prince.

He was groomed to be monarch by his father, Jordan’s late King Hussein, for nearly 50 years. Then, whilst the King was on his literal deathbed, he decided to change the succession plan, throwing Hamzah from the future throne (ouch) and naming Abdullah (his eldest son from his second marriage) as his successor.

This made Hamzah the crown prince, but not for long because, in 2004, Abdullah then stripped Hamzah of his princely place and gave it to his son (double ouch).

Hamzah is popular among Jordanian tribes, though, and often visits them, which might have created the tension that led to all the arrests. I wouldn’t blame him for possibly plotting, family history considered.

Then, the plot twisted once more, and two days after Hamzah released his videos, after a mediation that apparently went well, he pledged allegiance to his half-brother, King Abdullah.

The BBC reports:

Malik Dahlan, a professional mediator and a friend of the family, issued a separate statement, saying the mediation had been “successful” and that he expected a resolution “shortly”, according to the Associated Press.

There are still many gaps in the story and the fact that a bunch of Jordan’s allies and neighbours rushed to express support of the King during all of this, apparently means that the crisis is not over.

[sources:cnn&bbcnews]