Princess Firyal
Princess Firyal Irshaid, born in 1945 in Jerusalem (then part of Mandatory Palestine), is a Jordanian humanitarian and philanthropist. She became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992 and later served as Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO in 1995, focusing on education and the protection of world heritage.
She is a board member of the International Rescue Committee, the New York Public Library, and many museums and universities, including the Harvard Kennedy School. Firyal Irshaid earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1999 after attending Berzeit College and two years at the American College for Women in Beirut.
Her father, Farid Mahmoud Irshaid, was a Jordanian political leader and minister, and her mother, Farida Irshaid, headed the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank. In Jordan, she became active in relief work in refugee camps, supported literacy programs for Bedouin tribes, and helped establish a family planning program. In 1994 she launched the International Hope Foundation under the UNESCO umbrella to aid homeless and street children.
She was married to Prince Muhammad bin Talal from 1964 to 1978, and they had two sons, Prince Talal and Prince Ghazi.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:19 (CET).