Princess Firyal ( Firyal Irshaid ; born 1945) is a Jordanian humanitarian and philanthropist. She became a

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. UNESCO goodwill ambas ...

in 1992, working on programs for education and protection of world heritage. She is a board member at the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...

(IRC),

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

, and a wide range of museums and universities, including the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Irshaid is a graduate of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. From 1964 to 1978, she was married to

Prince Muhammad bin Talal Prince Muhammad bin Talal (2 October 1940 – 29 April 2021) was a member of the Jordanian royal family. He was the second son of King Talal of Jordan and the younger brother of King Hussein of Jordan. He was heir-presumptive to the throne from ...

—younger brother of King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until Death and state funeral of King Hussein, his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemites, Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hu ...

—by whom she has two sons, Prince Talal and Prince Ghazi.

Biography

Early life and education

Born in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, Firyal Irshaid is the daughter of the late

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

Farid Mahmoud Irshaid, a political leader who served as a minister in the government and a parliamentarian in the Jordan Senate. Her mother Farida was chairwoman of the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank. Irshaid attended Berzeit College. She studied for two years at the American College for Women in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

before her marriage; she resumed her studies and earned a bachelor's degree from

Columbia University School of General Studies The School of General Studies (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, Borough (New York City), New York City. GS is known prima ...

in 1999.

Career

Irshaid was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992. Three years later, in 1995, she was appointed Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO. She works primarily on programs for protection of world heritage and education. In Jordan, Irshaid became active in relief work in

refugee camps A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displac ...

. She worked for the literacy programs with the nomadic Bedouin tribes. She also established the family planning program. Irshaid launched the International Hope Foundation under the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

umbrella in 1994 for the benefit of homeless and street children. Irshaid's philanthropic positions and credentials include: * Board of Directors of the

United Nations Association A United Nations Association (UNA) is a non-governmental organization that exists in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of member states and the United Nations to raise public awareness of the UN and its work, to promo ...

in March, 2003. * Board of Trustees of the

based in New York. * International Council at

* Board of Trustees of the

* Trustee of the

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (, English: ''Museum of Decorative Arts'') is a museum in Paris, France, dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of the decorative arts. Located in the city’s 1st arrondissement, the museum occupies the P ...

* International Council of the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

Modern in London *

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

by the government of

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

in May 2007 at the Jordanian Embassy as U.S. Ambassador *

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Board of Chairman Council of MOMA. *

Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: * The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Ne ...

Member of the Middle Eastern Circle

Personal life

Irshaid was married to Prince Muhammad bin Talal, with whom she had sons Prince Talal bin Muhammad and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, between 1964 and 1978. After their marriage ended in divorce, she dated Greek shipping magnate

Stavros Niarchos Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, ...

and later became the longtime companion of American banker

Lionel Pincus Lionel I. Pincus (March 2, 1931 — October 10, 2009) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the private equity firm Warburg Pincus, running it from 1966 to 2002, and later became the chairman emeritus of the compa ...

. After Pincus's death there were allegations by his sons, Henry and

Matt Pincus Matthew Storrs Pincus is an American music publisher and investor who founded Songs Music Publishing. He is also the current bassist of the band New York City Hardcore Band Judge. Early life and education Pincus is the son of Lionel Pincus, co ...

, claiming Firyal had taken advantage of Pincus's deteriorating mental and physical state by spending extravagant sums.

Honours

* : ** Grand Cordon of the

Order of Independence Order of Independence or Independence Order () is a Vietnamese decoration. Criteria The Vietnamese government states that the decoration "shall be conferred or posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or med ...

** Grand Cordon of the Order of the State Centennial (24 January 2022) * : Honorary Grand Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(24 April 1965)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Irshaid, Firyal 1945 births Living people Birzeit University alumni Columbia University School of General Studies alumni Jordanian people of Palestinian descent Beirut College for Women alumni UNESCO goodwill ambassadors Grand Cordons of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Jordanian princesses by marriage