Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco

Princess Lalla Meryem
Born (1962-08-26) 26 August 1962 (age 62)
Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Italy
Spouse
Fuad Filali
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 1998)​
IssueSharifa Lalla Soukaïna Filali
Sharif Moulay Idris Dekkar Filali
DynastyAlaouite
FatherKing Hassan II of Morocco
MotherPrincess Lalla Latifa
ReligionIslam
Royal family of Morocco

Princess Lalla Lamia

Princess Lalla Meryem (Arabic: الأميرة للا مريم, born 26 August 1962) is the first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and his wife, Princess Lalla Latifa.

Biography

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Education

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Lalla Meryem was born in Rome and is the oldest of her siblings who are King Mohammed VI, Lalla Asma, Lalla Hasna and Prince Moulay Rachid.

She completed her primary and secondary education at the Royal College in Rabat. After she obtained her Baccalauréat in 1981, Princess Lalla Meryem was appointed by her father as the President of Social Works of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. She continued her studies at the Mohammed V University of Rabat where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in sociology.[citation needed]

Official activities

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Holder of numerous prestigious official functions, Princess Meryem has focused much of her activities on the social and cultural realm. Using her Royal status, she continues her work on behalf of women and children and advocate their rights on an international level. She is the President of the following organizations:

  • (1981) President of the Hassan II Foundation for the social works of the former soldiers and ex-combatants;
  • (1993) President of the Moroccan association in support of UNICEF;[1]
  • (1994) President of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child;[2]
  • (1995) President of the Hassan II Foundation for the Moroccans residing abroad;[3]
  • (1997) President of Al Karam Association;[4]
  • (2000) President of the INSAF Association for respect for the rights of women and children;[5][6]
  • (2003) President of the National Union of Moroccan Women (UNFM).[7]

In July 2001, she was nominated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador with focus of her Ambassadorship on UNESCO projects for women and children. Also Member of the Honorary Committee of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.

In 2002, in Rabat the former Moroccan League for Child Protection was reorganize into the “Center Lalla Meryem for abandoned children”.[8] That same year, on October 22, 23 and 24, Lalla Meryem chaired the work of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference on children's rights and human security,[9] which was held in Marrakesh and attended by representatives of international organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, the European Union, the European Parliament, the Arab Parliament and national actors concerned.[9]

In July 2003, King Mohammed VI promoted Princess Lalla Meryem to the rank of Senior colonel of the Royal Armed Forces.[10]

In July 2007, she inaugurated the “Lalla Meryem park” in Oujda. This park which is eponymous extends over an area of two hectares and is located to the south of the old medina and adjoins the boulevard Maghreb El Arabi.[11]

Marriage

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On 15 September 1984, she married Fuad Filali (born 1957), ex-CEO of ONA Group, and the son of former Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Abdellatif Filali.[12] They had two children, a daughter and a son:

  • Sharifa Lalla Soukaïna Filali (born 30 April 1986 in Rabat). On 28 May 2014, she married Mohammed El Mehdi Regragui, they divorced in 2019. The couple have twins born on 27 September 2015:[13]
    • Moulay Hassan Regragui;
    • Lalla Aya Regragui.
  • Sharif Moulay Idris Dekkar Filali (born 21 March 1988 in Rabat).

The couple divorced in 1998.

Honours

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National honours

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Foreign honours

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References

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  1. ^ Publications, Publitec (2011-12-22). Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. Walter de Gruyter. p. 263. ISBN 978-3-11-093004-7.
  2. ^ "Home page - ONDE". www.onde.ma. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  3. ^ Collyer, M. (2013-10-16). Emigration Nations: Policies and Ideologies of Emigrant Engagement. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-27710-7. established in 1990 ... Since 1995, the Foundation's president has been Princess Lalla Meryem
  4. ^ "Al Karam - Euro-Mediterranean Women's Foundation". Euromedwomen.foundation. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-10. Al Karam was founded in 1997 by Ms. Karima M'kika, under the patronage of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem and the state-approved in 2001
  5. ^ Gallaoui, Mohamed; Kallāwī, Muḥammad (2007). Le Maroc politique à l'aube du troisième millenaire, 1990-2006 (in French). Nahaj el Jadida. p. 188. Thus the INSAF association will be born in the year 2000, under the patronage of Princess Lalla Meryem, to fill the void left by "Terre des hommes" of which...
  6. ^ MATIN, LE (2015-08-10). "Une tente citoyenne pour les droits des mères célibataires". Le Matin.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  7. ^ UNFM. "Historique". www.unfm.ma (in French). Archived from the original on 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  8. ^ Bargach, Jamila (2002). Orphans of Islam: Family, Abandonment, and Secret Adoption in Morocco. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7425-0027-3.
  9. ^ a b ALM (2003-12-16). "La princesse des bonnes causes". Aujourd'hui le Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  10. ^ MAP (2003-07-31). "S.A.R. la Princesse Lalla Meryem promue au grade de colonel-major". Le Matin.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  11. ^ MAP (2007-07-30). "S.A.R. la Princesse Lalla Meryem inaugure à Oujda le parc «Lalla Meryem»". Le Matin.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  12. ^ La Grande encyclopédie du Maroc: Les institutions politiques, administratives, judiciaires (in French). GEM. 1986. p. 117.
  13. ^ "Princess Lalla Soukaina of Morocco welcomes twins in Paris". HELLO!. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  14. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
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