Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco

Prince Moulay Rachid (الأمير مولاي رشيد بن الحسن; born 20 June 1970) is a member of the Moroccan royal family and the youngest child of the late King Hassan II. He holds a doctorate in international politics and serves as president of Morocco's scouting sub-nation (Institution Royale du scoutisme).

Early life and education
Prince Moulay Rachid is the fifth and youngest child of the late King Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa Amahzoune. He has four older siblings: Princess Lalla Meryem, King Mohammed VI (formerly Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed), Princess Lalla Asma and Princess Lalla Hasna.

After primary and secondary studies at the Royal College in Rabat and obtaining his Baccalauréat in June 1989, he entered Mohammed V University in Rabat to start his higher studies in law. In May 1993, Prince Moulay Rachid obtained his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) majoring in economic and social law. That same year, he received his License to Practice Law – Public Law, in Morocco two languages are official, French and Arabic, he used to do both but not this time (Rumor has it he preferred the French language because he had problems with writing Arabic which following the Islamic faith is written only by right hands. He is said to be ambidextrous but denied it telling a magazine he wrote with his left hand).

On 29 June 1995, he completed his graduate studies and received a Master of Law (LL.M.) in Political Science. The Bosnian question was the subject of his research and the thesis that he presented and supported publicly. In order to complete his training for his postgraduate education, in November 1993, the Prince started an internship with the United Nations in New York. On 21 June 1996, he successfully completed the written and oral tests for his postgraduate education and received a postgraduate Degree in International Relations. On 18 May 2001, he presented his doctorate thesis on the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at the Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV, which merited a specific mention for the quality of his work.

Public life
In 1999, Moulay Rachid became crown prince following the accession of his brother King Mohammed VI to the throne, and remained as such until the birth of his nephew Moulay Hassan in 2003. He is currently second in line to the throne.

Moulay Rachid occasionally serves Morocco as a diplomat, representing his brother Mohammed at foreign engagements. Among the events he attended were the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito of Japan on 22 October 2019, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

On 20 December 2022, Moulay Rachid, along with King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, received the members of the Moroccan national football team at the Royal Palace in Rabat, after their brilliant performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life
On 15 June 2014, he married his non-titled second-generation cousin, Oum Kalthum Boufares, and paternal granddaughter of Princess Lalla Khadija through her father (a sister of Mohammed V). Their wedding was celebrated in November at the Dar al-Makhzen in Rabat. His wife, after giving birth to the couple's first child, was granted by the title of Princess and the status of Royal Highness by King Mohammed VI. They have two sons together: Prince Moulay Ahmed (born 23 June 2016) and Prince Moulay Abdeslam (born June 1, 2022).

In October 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 and subsequently missed the state opening of parliament for that year.

National honours

 * 🇲🇦 Morocco: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Throne

Foreign honours

 * undefined: Grand Cordon of the Order Al Khalifa (2001).
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II (5 October 2004).
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark: Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (6 February 1988).
 * 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea: Grand Cross of the National Order of Independence (2009).
 * 🇫🇷 France: Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit.
 * 🇮🇹 Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (18 March 1997).
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico: Grand Cross (Cruz) of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (11 February 2005).
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan: First Class of the Order of Excellence (19 July 2003).
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal: Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz (13 August 1998).
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (26 March 1993).
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: First Class of the Order of King Abdulaziz (2007).
 * 🇪🇸 Spain: Knight of the Collar of the Order of Civil Merit (22 September 1989).
 * 🇹🇳 Tunisia: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic (31 May 2014).
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (14 July 1987).