On Saturday, April 9, 2022, the royal Hashemite court announced that His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan will undergo back surgery for a Thoracic Herniated Disc.

Under the advice of His Majesty’s physicians, the surgery will take place at a specialized hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, this week. According to a press release, His Majesty had previously been experiencing intermittent pain in the spinal cord after years of parachuting while serving in the Special Forces, but “…the pressure on the nerve due to the herniation has increased lately, which calls for undergoing surgery urgently, according to medical advice.”

According to the website, Spine Health, Thoracic Herniated Disc surgery is:

“…indicated in only rare instances when a herniated disc leads to myelopathy (spinal cord dysfunction), progressive neurologic deficits, or intolerable pain.

Typically, these symptoms occur following an acute traumatic herniated disc with myelopathy. The Thoracic surgery to address these symptoms, called a Decompression, is designed to take the pressure off the spinal cord or nerve root.”

After the surgery, His Majesty King Abdullah II will remain in Frankfurt, Germany for one week of convalescence prior to returning to Jordan.

This morning, at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan, His Majesty’s son, was sworn in as Regent, in the presence of members of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

Chief Commissioner, Mr. Musa Maaytah, and Commissioners Mr. Abeer Dababneh, Mr. Ammar Husseini, Mr. Jihad Momani, and Mr. Raed Adwan were sworn in.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief, Mr. Yousef Issawi, also attended the swearing-in ceremony.