All about the royal family of Qatar: the Emir, his three wives and his sister (the most powerful woman in art)

The Qatari royal family does not have a long history compared to other Arab dynasties, nor is it descended from the Prophet Mohammed, but it has great influence in its country, in the Persian Gulf and in the world thanks to the immense wealth its members have amassed thanks to reserves of oil and gas of the nation that will host the next soccer World Cup.

The Al Thani they have only been in power since the 19th century and their rise is due to British intervention to curb piracy in the region. Furthermore, their autonomy on the throne was conditioned by the period of rule of the Ottoman Empire (from 1871 to the First World War) and by the subsequent period of British protectorate of the emirate (from 1916 to 1971).

Now that the 21st century has begun, their economic influence has continued to grow: while the exact fortune of the Qatari royal family is unknown, many sources place it at around $450 billion, with investments scattered around the world in commercial giants such as Barclays Bank, British Airways, Volkswagen, Harrods and even El Corte Inglés; although it is particularly concentrated in England, where they own more than 4,000 properties (according to the Guardian the Emir owns more properties in London than the British royal family itself, including the luxurious hotels Ritz and The Savoy). All operate through the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, set up in 2005 to manage surpluses generated by oil and gas exports.

The head of the family is of course the current emir, the sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Doha, 1980), ninth of the dynasty, known for having focused on sport to increase the international profile of Qatar, even before his accession to the throne in 2013, made possible by the resignation of his older brother, Jassim, to the dynastic rights granted to him by his father. He was also the first of the last three emirs to come to power without a coup.

Tamim, who was educated in England at prestigious institutions such as Sherborne School, Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (the same academy where Prince William received his military training), founded Qatar Sports Investments in 2005. crucial to taking control of Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 through its current president, Nasser Al-Khelaifiamong others.

In 2006, the current emir chaired the organizing committee of the Asian Games in Doha and then redoubled efforts in sport to have his country also host the 2014 World Short Course Swimming Championships, the World Athletics Championships in 2019, the World Aquatics Championships in 2024 and the World Aquatics Championships in 2024. He also chairs the Qatar Olympic Committee, which has unsuccessfully bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games and recently opened a monumental Olympic museum in Doha .

From a personal point of view, the emir has three wives (under Islamic law she could have up to four, as long as she provides for all of their financial needs and treats them fairly) and 13 children (seven boys and six girls). One of them will be designated by his father as his successor, which has not yet happened, also because none of them are of age yet.

his first wife, Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, is his second cousin, as according to tradition, the first wife to marry must have some family connection. Politically, she is the first lady, being the only one to accompany Tamim on state trips, such as the one to Spain last spring, when the emir received the necklace of the Order of Isabella the Catholic from King Felipe VI . For the reception, Jawaher didn’t cover her head and wore an elegant coat by Chanel complemented by diamond earrings and a handbag by Hermès. She also attended Elizabeth II’s funeral in London as her consort. The couple married in 2005 and had two sons and two daughters between 2006 and 2012; both share a love of sports (the sheikh has worked on several initiatives to support female athletes in her country).

His second wife, Al-Anoud bint Mana Al Hajri, in theory chosen by the emir without any family pressure, she is the daughter of the former ambassador of Qatar to Jordan; he married her in 2009 and they had five children between 2010 and 2018.

His third and last wife is Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari, whom he married in 2014 and with whom he had four children between 2015 and 2020. As with the former, not much has been leaked about her and their married life, other than the fact that Tamim is known to travel normally with his three wives and all his children when he goes on holiday, as he often does in the summer when he visits Mallorca aboard his 200 million euro luxury yacht.

Of course, none of them reach the media transcendence of Tamim’s mother, Moza bint Nasser al-Missnedla favorite of her father’s three wives, former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Moza, in addition to being considered one of the most elegant women in the world, as she demonstrated during her official visit to Spain in 2011, is a doctor honoris causa of five universities (including Georgetown University) and has always been involved in social and educational projects, in Qatar and around the world (she was also a special envoy for UNESCO). She also chairs the Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA), dedicated to the promotion of fashion in the Arab world.

The latter organization is co-chaired by the other most prominent female of the Qatari royal family, Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, daughter of moza and therefore sister of the emir. While the emir pours a large part of his investments into sport, Al-Mayassa does the same in art, spending around 1 billion euros a year on the purchase of works of art (in 2015 he bought a painting by Gauguin for 300 million euros), for which she was nominated by ArtReview the most powerful woman on the world art scene. You are president of Qatar Museums, responsible for architectural and cultural jewels such as the National Museum of Qatar and the Doha Museum of Islamic Art, and have brought exhibitions and works by artists such as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and Richard Serra.