Princess Alia received her primary education in Amman, attending Ahliyyah School for Girls and Rosary College, Amman. She then attended Sibton Park School in Lyminge, England, until 1968, after spending one year at Benenden School in Kent, and obtaining her A-Levels in Arabic, English, and French from Millfield School in Somerset, England, in 1972. Princess Alia graduated with honours from the University of Jordan in 1977, obtaining a bachelor's degree in English literature.
Marriage
Princess Alia married Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza on 12 April 1977 in the Raghadan Palace, and has one son from the marriage:
Hussein Mirza
Alia and Nasser divorced in 1988. She married Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh in Amman on 30 July 1988. They have two children:
Talal Al-Saleh
Abdul Hamid Al-Saleh
Princess Alia and her sister Zein are also sisters-in-law.
Life and activities
Princess Alia worked as registrar and artist with the British School of Archaeology under Crystal Benett OBE, and has been a member of Fakherelnissa' Zeid's Art Group since the 1980s. In her capacity as director of the Royal Stables of Jordan for the Preservation of the Arabian Horses, Princess Alia initiated the festival of the "Arabian Horse at Home" in 1988 and organised the Middle East Championships for Purebred Horses, Jordan. She has also founded the Princess Alia Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that is under the Ministry of Social Development in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Its stated motto is "Respect and Compassion towards Creation". In that capacity, in 2011, she delivered the keynote address at the World Arabian Horse Organization conference titled "The Relationship Between Horses and Humans in Today's World," drawing clear parallels between animal welfare and human rights. Princess Alia has held a 2 Dan Black Belt Taekwondo since 1987, and enjoys equestrianism,horse breeding, judging of Arabian horses, collecting stamps, reading and sports in general. Equestrianism is a family passion; her haldf-sister, Princess Haya bint Hussein, is the former president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports and a member of the International Olympic Committee.
