Jordan's Prince Vows Loyalty, King Accepts Mediation In Palace Row

The government has accused Hamzah, an ex-crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II, of a "wicked" plot and involvement in a seditious conspiracy to "destabilise the kingdom's security".

Jordan's Prince Hamzah pledged loyalty to the king on Monday as the monarch accepted mediation over a rift within the royal family that saw the prince placed under house arrest, the palace said. The government has accused Hamzah, an ex-crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II, of a "wicked" plot and involvement in a seditious conspiracy to "destabilise the kingdom's security". Hamzah, detained along with at least 16 others, had earlier struck a defiant tone saying he had been placed under house arrest inside his Amman palace, but insisting he would not obey orders restricting his movement. But in an apparent easing of the palace turmoil, the 41-year-old prince pledged his backing to King Abdullah.