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 Queen Rania Al Adbullah of Jordan
Yesterday, Her Majesty, Queen Rania of Jordan, was a guest on Oprah. I like this woman very much because she she is a beautiful woman who possesses  intellect, common sense, and an intangible quality that makes her quite ordinary rather than unapproachable and aloof.
Rania Al-Yassin was born in Kuwait to Palestinian refugee parents from Tulkarm. She attended school at New English Schoolin Hawalli Kuwait, then earned a degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. Upon her graduation from university, Queen Rania returned to Jordan and pursued a career in banking, working at Citibank, followed by a brief career in the field of Information Technology, at Apple Computer in Amman
She met Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, then Prince, at a dinner party in January 1993. Two months later, they announced their engagement and on 10 June 1993, they were married. They have four children:
- Crown Prince Hussein (born 28 June 1994)
- Princess Iman (born 27 September 1996)
- Princess Salma (born 26 September 2000)
- Prince Hashem (born 30 January 2005)
 Becoming Queen of Jordan
Although her husband ascended on 7 February 1999, Rania did not become Queen immediately. She was proclaimed Queen of Jordan by her husband on 22 March 1999 Â Without proclamation, she would have been a princess consort, just like her mother-in-law, Princess Muna al-Hussein.
She and Oprah spoke on a wide range of topics, including how one can react to terrorist attacks, how she feels about her eldest son, still a teenager, being named Crown Prince of Jordan, and how she is reacting to getting older.
I especially liked what she said about getting older. When Oprah complimented her on how wise she seemed and that she was not yet forty, she replied,
"I'm getting close, though I still feel like a kid inside."
To which Oprah replied, "And you always will."
I do believe that's so true. Of course, my belief system is such that I think of that youth inside me as my spirit. It remains eternally young while only my physical shell which houses it ages to eventually die.
I follow the dictates of my spirit. It guides me and instructs me. Sometimes, it runs contrary to other's agendas and belief systems.  Because I do listen to my spirit in all areas--political, social, and religious,  I have been called, among other things, mentally unbalanced, mean-spirited, an ugly old queen, a bitch, a hypocrite, and a witch,.
I kind of like the idea of being "a queen," though I will have to beg to differ with the "ugly" moniker. If I can be indulged for just a moment, I believe I have aged quite well. I still clean up real good!
 In reality, I, of course, am none of those. I know that, my children know that, anyone who has ever met me knows that,  and my friends know that.Â
To those who perpetrate these ugly personifications, I have only one thing to say.  I will never compromise what my spirit tells me is right for anyone on this earth.Â
So, if it gives you some sense of perverted satisfaction to hurl the slings and arrows of degradation my way, go right ahead. But know this. I will NEVER go gently into the night to accommodate your wishes or anyone else's. In fact, my resolve only becomes stronger with every lie you try to make others believe about me.
Personally, I think we are all far more alike, as Queen Rania, stated, than we are different.
For more information on Queen Rania go to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Rania_of_Jordan
