| Sheikh Abdullah | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Hessa bint Khalifa al-Khalifa |
| Issue | |
| Isa Sulman Nora |
|
| House | Al Khalifa |
| Father | Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa |
| Mother | Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa |
| Born | 30 June 1975 Riffa, Bahrain |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (born June 30, 1975) is the second son of the present King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah and his first wife, Queen Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
Like all members of the royal family, Abdullah sits as a senior member of the civil judiciary.[1]
Abdullah has a personal love of music, and has fitted his palace in the Kingdom with a recording studio. He also has homes in Kensington, London and has a cottage in Devon, England. Musically he enjoys Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley, owns a vintage Gibson electric guitar, and rides a Harley Davidson.[2]
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A long time friend of American pop legend Michael Jackson, Abdullah loaned his friend £2.2million to pay legal fees after the singer was tried for child molestation in California in 2005. After the successful defence and dismissal of all charges, Abdullah invited Jackson, his children and personal staff to stay in Bahrain, which Jackson took up on 30 June 2005.[3][4]
As part of a plan to revive Jackson's career with the release of a new album,[5] after Hurricane Katrina Sheikh Abdullah suggested that Jackson record a song Abdullah had written as a charity single at a recording studio in London, "I Have This Dream."[6] Jackson undertook the recording session in London, but the single was never released through the co-owned record label 2 Seas Group. Jackson left the Kingdom in May 2006 for Ireland.
In November 2008, after trying to recover £4.7 million costs from Jackson which the singer said were gifts, Abdullah sued the singer through the mutually agreed High Court in London.[7] Abdullah claims that despite having paid the $2.2m (£1.5m) cost for Jackson to record a song intended to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the singer failed to attend the studio for the final recording and the song was never released. Mr Bankim Thanki QC, representing Abdullah, told the High Court that the day after Jackson's criminal trial ended in California, that he recorded one of the songs which Abdullah wanted released as a charity single to help victims of the Indian ocean tsunami,[8] and that Sheikh Abdullah felt "a strong sense of personal betrayal" after forming "a close personal relationship" with the singer.[7]
Sheikh Abdullah is married with HH Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa al-Khalifa. She was member of the Supreme Council for Women between 2001 and 2004, is Permanent Member of the Board since 2004, Executive Director of Jazz Bahrain since 2005, Member of Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement, and Member of Young Arab Leaders of Bahrain. Together they have three children, two sons and one daughter:[9]
| Monarchical styles of Sheikh Abdullah |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Highness |
| Alternative style | Sheikh |