Happy Birthday to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who turns 60 today! The second child and first son of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and Lalla Latifa Hammou, he was born the Crown Prince of Morocco from birth and after receiving a religious and political education in the Royal Palace, he was educated at the Collège Royal before gaining a bachelor’s degree in law at the Mohammed V University at Agdal in 1985, later being educated in political sciences and public law before obtaining a PhD in law with distinction from the French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis for his thesis on “EEC-Maghreb Relations” in 1993.
In 1994, Crown Prince Mohammed President of the High Council of Culture and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Moroccan Army though undertook minimal duties until his accession to the Moroccan Throne in 1994. The King initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, Mudawana, granting women more power, later enacting several reforms and introducing a new constitution following the Arab Spring Protests. King Mohammed has prioritized positive diplomatic relations with foreign powers, and has also pushed economic interests, becoming Morocco’s leading businessman and banker, becoming the richest King in Africa and the 5th wealthiest Monarch in the world.
In 2002, King Mohammed VI married Salma Bennani in Rabat, who became the first public Moroccan Consort, following the footsteps of the King’s three sisters. The King and Princess Lalla Salma had two children; Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and Princess Lalla Khadija, before reportedly divorcing around 2018. The King has had several health issues in recent years and many public appearances are now undertaken by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan. We wish HM a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!
