'Abd al-Ilah

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Crown Prince Abd al-Ilāh of Iraq, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (Arabic: عبد الإله ) (also written Abdul Ilah), (1913-1958), was a cousin and brother-in-law of King Ghazi, and was regent of Iraq for King Faisal II from April 4, 1939 to May 2, 1953, when Faisal came of age. He also held the title of Crown Prince of Iraq from 1943.

A son of King Ali ibn Hussein of Hejaz, who was the elder brother of King Faisal I of Iraq, he assumed power upon the death of his brother in an automobile accident. He was deposed briefly by former prime minister Rashid Ali al-Kaylani, who led a pro-German coup during World War II but was restored after the United Kingdom invaded the country in May 1941.

'Abd al-Ilah stepped down in 1953, when Faisal came of age, but he continued to be a close adviser of the young king, and an advocate of a pro-Western foreign policy. He was killed, along with most of the royal family, on July 14, 1958, in a coup d'état led by Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim that brought an end to the Iraqi monarchy.His body was trailed on al Rashid street and was cut into pieces.

[edit] Military ranks

'Abd al-Ilah held the following ranks[1]:

• Field Marshal, Royal Iraqi Army
• Marshal of the Royal Iraqi Air Force
• Air Marshal (honorary), Royal Air Force

Sources:[2]