With a fortune of almost 440 billion euros, the royal family of Qatar is the third richest in the world, wealthier even than that of the United Kingdom. Since 1847, the Al Thani dynasty has governed the country on the Persian Gulf, the size of the district of Beja. But who is Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the eighth monarch of Qatar?
Tamim, the unlikely Emir
In 1980, the second son of the second wife of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the fourth of the then Sheikh of Qatar, was born in Doha. He was prepared since he was a child to take over the country’s destinies, despite not being the most obvious choice in the line of succession.
He studied at some of the best schools in the UK, such as Sherborne School and Harrow School and learned to speak three languages: Arabic, English and French. In 1997 he graduated from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Back in Doha, he became a Second Lieutenant in the Qatari Armed Forces, rising in 2009 to the position of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
To everyone’s surprise, the eldest brother, Jassim, abdicated the throne in 2003, paving the way for the accession of Tamim, who became crown prince. Ten years later, the father, aged 61, broke the tradition of ruling until death and left the leadership of the country: Tamim took his place and became the eighth monarch of Qatar, the youngest ever at just 33 years old.
The decision was communicated to the country by the state television Al Jazeera. At the time, Hamad justified himself by saying that he was “absolutely sure that he will live up to the responsibility” and that “our young people have proven in recent years that they are resolute people, who understand the spirit of the times and participate in it”.
Thirteen children and three marriages
Qatari tradition dictates that the Emir’s first marriage is to a member of the royal family. The chosen one was Jawaher Bint Hamad Bin Suhaim Thani, second cousin of the Emir. The marriage, celebrated in 2005, resulted in four children, two boys and two girls.
It is Jawaher who exercises the functions of first lady and is the only one who accompanies her husband on state trips. She graduated last year in Business Administration from the University of Qatar and shares Tamim’s love of sport.
The Emir’s first wife, Jawaher Bint Hamad Bin Suhaim Thani, accompanies him on a state visit
Andrea Comas
The bride for the second wedding can already be chosen by the Emir himself, who in 2009 married Anoud bint Mana AlHajri, daughter of a former Qatari ambassador to Jordan and sister of the new owner of the Ritz in London. Between 2010 and 2018, Anoud and Tamim had five children, three girls and two boys.
In 2014, he married again, this time with Noora bint Hathal Al Dosari, mother of four of his children, three boys and one girl.
The 13 children and three wives all spend their holidays together with the Emir, who has the Spanish island of Mallorca as his favorite place, aboard Tamim’s luxury yacht, which costs around 200 million euros.
As for the future leadership of the country, it is still a matter to be decided. In Qatar, it is up to the Emir to define his successor, but the choice will remain open, at least until Tamim’s children reach the age of majority.
Passion for sport
Even before being Emir, Tamim was already an ardent fan of the sport. From an early age he practices tennis, badminton, including falconry (the falcon being one of the symbols of his homeland).
Over the years, he has held various important positions in the sporting world: in 2006, he chaired the committee that organized the Asian Games in Doha, followed by the Short Swimming World Championship in 2014, the Athletics World Championship in 2019 and, now, the of the football world.
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Manu Fernandez
Tamim bought the French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 and this year he acquired 21% of the SAD of Sporting de Braga, through the state fund for sport, leisure and entertainment, which he created in 2005.
fortune out of sight
Oil and natural gas exploration are the main sources of wealth for the Qatari royal family, a fortune estimated at almost 440 billion euros.
Tamim is the richest man in the country, with diverse investments spread all over the world. He owns the Al Jazeera television station and has over 4,000 properties in the UK. In London alone, he owns more real estate than Windsor House itself.
It does business with the British bank Barclays, the airline British Airways and the Volkswagen brand. And he also owns the Empire State Building in New York.
The al-Thani family’s assets are second only to the House of Saud, Saudi Arabia’s royalty, which totals close to 1.4 billion euros.
New legacy to the World Cup
The organization of the World Cup forced a revolution in Qatar’s infrastructure. From new hotels, roads, metro connections and an airport, the country has made a strong commitment to improving accessibility conditions for the thousands of fans visiting the country, along with the construction of the various stadiums that will host the event.
But the competition has also ignited an international debate that Qataris do little for human rights, leaving the country under a hail of criticism. Tamim is determined to change the course of the conversation and seems to want to make some changes to the foundation of his legacy.
Manu Fernandez
The first innovation is related to the Qatari government. Until then, the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs could only be occupied by members of the royal family. Tamim promoted the change of statute and another novelty: the appointment of a woman to the position of Minister of Communications and Information Technology, becoming the third in the country’s history to integrate an executive.
Three years after Amnesty International released a report that there were people working up to 100 hours a week, without any day off, the Emir of the country decided to make changes to the labor legislation in the country. In 2017, it gave the green light to reduce the number of working hours, going to ten per day, instituted a weekly day off and three weeks of paid vacation per year. Even so, for this World Cup to take place, more than 6,500 workers died in the construction of the stadiums and denunciations of the difficult conditions in which foreign immigrants live in the country continue to be published. Reasons that have led many to nickname the football competition that takes place in Qatar, as the “world of shame”.
