Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
Encyclopedia
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
, (born Salma Bennani; 10 May 1978 in Fes
) is the princess consort
of King Mohammed VI of Morocco
and the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title.
to al-Haj Abdel Hamid Bennani, a school teacher from Fes. Her mother Naima, née Bensouda died when she was three years old; from then on she and her sister were raised by her maternal grandmother. She lived in Rabat, with her cousin Saira, the two are commonly seen together in public.
She was educated in Rabat
, where she attended a private school, Lycée Hassan II, Lycée Moulay Youssef, and l'École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique et d'Analyse de Systèmes. She met her husband during a private party in 1999. After completing her engineering studies, she worked for a few years between 1999 and 2002 as an information services engineer at ONA Group, the country's largest private holding company (which is also controlled by the Moroccan Royal Family).
on 12 October 2001 (nikah
) and on 21 March 2002 (zifaf), at the Dar al-Makhzin, Rabat, and was granted the personal title of Princess with the style of Her Royal Highness on her marriage. They have two children:
On 29 April 2011, the day after the 2011 Marrakech bombing
, she was at the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton. Unlike the U.S., Moroccan news agency did not mention her presence at this ceremony.
Salma has also represented the King and Morocco in meetings and gatherings in Thailand, Japan and France. She also founded a cancer prevention association in Morocco and has been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa work. Recently, she visited Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, (born Salma Bennani; 10 May 1978 in Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
) is the princess consort
Princess consort
Princess consort is a title or an informal designation normally given to the wife of a sovereign prince. Since a male sovereign ruler is generally titled as a king and not a prince, the title of princess consort is not widely used. More rarely, it may be given to the spouse of a king, if the more...
of King Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
and the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title.
Early life and education
Salma was born in FesFes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
to al-Haj Abdel Hamid Bennani, a school teacher from Fes. Her mother Naima, née Bensouda died when she was three years old; from then on she and her sister were raised by her maternal grandmother. She lived in Rabat, with her cousin Saira, the two are commonly seen together in public.
She was educated in Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, where she attended a private school, Lycée Hassan II, Lycée Moulay Youssef, and l'École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique et d'Analyse de Systèmes. She met her husband during a private party in 1999. After completing her engineering studies, she worked for a few years between 1999 and 2002 as an information services engineer at ONA Group, the country's largest private holding company (which is also controlled by the Moroccan Royal Family).
Marriage and children
Salma married King Mohammed VIMohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
on 12 October 2001 (nikah
Nikah
Marriage in Islam is an Islamic prenuptial contract between a man and woman to live as husband and wife. It is a formal, binding contract considered integral to a religiously valid Islamic marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom and bride involved in marriage proceedings...
) and on 21 March 2002 (zifaf), at the Dar al-Makhzin, Rabat, and was granted the personal title of Princess with the style of Her Royal Highness on her marriage. They have two children:
- HRH Crown Prince Moulay HassanMoulay Hassan, Crown Prince of MoroccoMoulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco is the current heir apparent to the Moroccan throne. He is the oldest child of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and his wife Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, and has a younger sister, Princess Lalla Khadija....
(born 8 May 2003) - HRH Princess Lalla KhadijaPrincess Lalla Khadija of MoroccoPrincess Lalla Khadija of Morocco is the second child of Mohammed VI of Morocco and his wife, Princess Lalla Salma. Lalla Khadija's elder brother is Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco....
(born 28 February 2007)
Royal Role
Salma has kept quite a low profile as first lady of Morocco, although a more public one than her antecessors in the role, whom the citizens did not normally see. She has been supporting cancer associations and the Fez Sacred Music Festival.On 29 April 2011, the day after the 2011 Marrakech bombing
2011 Marrakech bombing
The 2011 Marrakech bombing killed 17 people in the city of Marrakech, Morocco on 28 April 2011. The blast, from a bomb left in a bag, destroyed the Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square, a popular tourist spot. At least 20 people were injured. Most of the dead were tourists.-Casualties:17 people were...
, she was at the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton. Unlike the U.S., Moroccan news agency did not mention her presence at this ceremony.
Salma has also represented the King and Morocco in meetings and gatherings in Thailand, Japan and France. She also founded a cancer prevention association in Morocco and has been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa work. Recently, she visited Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Titles, styles and honours
Titles and styles
- 1978 - 2002: Miss Salma Bennani (1978–2002)
- 2002–present: Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Salma
Honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold IIOrder of Leopold IIThe Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system...
of BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(5 October 2004) - Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic of SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(17 January 2005)