Prince Rashid bin El Hassan profile

Full name: Rashid bin El Hassan
Title: Prince of Jordan (His Royal Highness)
Born: Amman, May 25th 1979
Parents: El Hassan bin Talal and Sarvath Ikramullah
Education: \'O\' and \'A\' Levels from Harrow School (London); B. A. (Hons) from Cambridge University in Oriental Studies; Commissioned from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, with specialisation in Armour/Mechanical Infantry.
Looking after: The Hashemite Charitable Organisation.
Polo career: Started playing polo seriously at the age of 19-20 years. Has played in Jordan, England, Pakistan, United States, Malaysia, Egypt and Thailand.

Horse&Horseman Exclusive

His Royal Highness Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan is a keen polo player and has been playing the \'Game of Kings\' since he was 19 years old. The Horse&Horseman interviewed the member of the Jordanian royal family.

H&H: How did you develop interest in playing polo? Did you take up the sport because polo is said
to be the \'Game of Kings\' or you had genuine interest in playing the sport?

Prince Rashid: It would be more appropriate to call it the \'King of Games\' rather than the \'Game of Kings\'. I developed interest in polo through my father (HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal), it was passed down to me by him. He had developed a passion for polo through his trips to Pakistan.

One should have a genuine interest in a sport to play it. I played polo occasionally till I was 13 years old, but not seriously. I started playing seriously when I was 19 or 20 in the first year of my college in England.

H&H: Do you regularly play polo?

Prince Rashid: I used to play as much as I could until last year, when I decided not to play so much. I wanted to see the world as I also have a passion for travelling. Besides Jordan, I have played in many places like Pakistan, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Egypt, Thailand and England. So, now I am travelling and also playing polo.

H&H: When you play in matches in Jordan, do you ever feel that your opponents are conscious that they are playing against someone from the royal family?

Prince Rashid: I think they do have that feeling before the match begins and in the first chukker. But as the match enters its second chukker things get fast and I don\'t think anyone has the time to think about any other thing than the game.

H&H: You played polo in Pakistan, tell us something about the experience of playing in Pakistan and also your views on the polo standard and the quality of polo ponies in Pakistan.

Prince Rashid: It\'s always a wonderful experience playing in Pakistan. I think the standard is very, very high here. But I would like to see more civilians playing polo here.

Argentina is considered to be the producers of the best polo ponies in the world but I believe that Pakistani polo ponies are as good as the Argentinian polo ponies. We have taken Pakistani horses to Jordan and England and I think they are very, very good.

H&H: Do you have any interest in horse racing?

Prince Rashid: No, not personally. But we all are really very proud of what Princess Haya has achieved in the world of show-jumping. (Princess Haya is Prince Rashid\'s cousin and the wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, the ruler of Dubai)

H&H: Tell us something about the standard of polo in Jordan.

Prince Rashid: Jordan has a very good standard of polo. There are a lot of talented upcoming teenagers taking up polo and I think we have a bright future in the sport. We have been playing polo on sand for over 60 years but Jordan will be inaugurating its first green land ground in this autumn or spring. Teams from Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Egypt will be invited to take part in the matches. Polo in Jordan can easily be considered as much a Pakistani entity as it is a Jordanian entity.

H&H: Recently you visited the Remount Depot Mona. Your views on Mona Depot and how do you compare Mona with other breeding facilities in other parts of the world?

Prince Rashid: It\'s paradise really. It is beautiful and a very accomplished facility. For me, it is the first choice when it comes to polo ponies.

H&H: Would you like to share any unforgettable incident you might have experienced while playing polo or riding a horse.

Prince Rashid: Polo is a very fast game and once the match starts you have very little time to think about other things.

H&H: The Horse&Horseman has decided to sponsor the \'King of Jordan Cup\' every year from next year, what are your views on the idea?

Prince Rashid: It is a fantastic idea. We will be honoured to accept the invitation and play in the tournament. More than the matches, it will also provide a good opportunity for young Jordanians and Pakistanis to meet and know more about each other. It really is a tremendous idea. But my suggestion would be that instead of having a match between Jordanian and Pakistani teams, it would be much better if we mix up our players for the match. It will be great.

H&H: You have seen our magazine; please give us your views on the publication.

Prince Rashid: I was really impressed with your magazine. It’s tremendous, a high quality international standard magazine. It is at par with any other publication in the world. It is very informative and it\'s good to see that your magazine covers both Pakistani and international events -- a beautiful combination. Very good to read. As the interview concluded, HRH Prince Rashid bin El Hassan left to have lunch and rest in the afternoon. Later in the evening, he led the El Hassan Team in a friendly polo match against the Remount Depot Mona team.