Qatar wakes up to the news of the death of its former sovereign, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was the emir of the wealthy Gulf country and father of the current sovereign. He passed away this Sunday at 74 years old.
"We mourn the passing of the great leader of the nation, may God have mercy on him," the official statement reads.
His biography is that of a leader with great political acumen and capable of bold palace coups that marked his career. He came to power in 1995, prematurely, with a coup against his own father while he was on vacation in Switzerland, believing that the emirate's politics were deteriorating. And, conversely, he abdicated at a very young age in 2013 to his fourth son, a move that many of his advisors did not recommend but that he deemed necessary for someone with more vigor to face the new geopolitical situation in the region.
Since Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani abdicated, his public appearances have been scarce. Although he has been seen at some public events over the years, such as the inauguration ceremony of the controversial World Cup held in the Gulf nation. The sheikh received a thunderous ovation from the Qataris in attendance that day at the stadium. This contrasts with the prominence of his wife, the renowned Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al Missned, who has remained the most recognizable and glamorous face of Qatar worldwide. She has continued to attend inaugurations, receptions, and all kinds of institutional events, confirming the extent to which her shadow truly looms large in the Petro-monarchy.
Sheikh Hamad was the architect of astonishing initiatives in an energy-rich territory that transformed a remote place into an international transport hub in less than a generation.
The Qatari royal family today has investments in numerous companies across Europe, including giants like Barclays, British Airways, Volkswagen, and the famous British department store Harrods. The Al Thani family owns properties as fabulous as the luxurious Ritz hotels and The Savoy in London. In Spain, their significant stakes in El Corte Inglés and Iberdrola stand out.
However, Qatar's rise under Sheikh Hamad also irked regional and Western allies due to its independent policy formulations, including its close relations with the Shia power Iran, the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The late emir was heavily criticized by the US during the Iraq War for what Washington deemed a stance contrary to its interests. This complicated episode strained bilateral relations, despite the Emirate becoming an important partner of the White House in the region.
Hamad bin Jalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani was born in Doha in 1952. Like many Arab royalty offspring, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK) in 1971. He was proclaimed crown prince in 1977 and appointed Minister of Defense. In 1995, as mentioned, while his father was in Geneva, he peacefully staged a coup and took the reins of the nation.
The emir was married three times and was father to a total of 24 children. But his second wife, the aforementioned Sheikha Moza, undoubtedly outshone the others, becoming the de facto first lady of Qatar, up to this day.
The emir and Moza made a State visit to Spain in 2011, at the invitation of the then Kings Juan Carlos and Sofia. The sheikha dazzled in each of her appearances with her sophistication and enigmatic glamour.
Years later, in 2022, the current Qatari sovereign, along with one of his wives, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad, made another high-level diplomatic visit to our country, marked by the turbulent international context, with the war in Ukraine and the severe energy crisis as backdrops. On that occasion, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were the hosts.