Seventy-three years ago today, on August 11, 1952 (June 21, 1952), King Hussein of Jordan took the throne. Hussein, the Junior King of Jordan August 11, 1952. Crown Prince Hussein, who will be 17 years old, was today appointed by the Jordanian Parliament to succeed his mentally ill father, Tagliar, as King of Jordan. The king's departure came after medical reports suggested that there was little chance of the 41-year-old monarch, who had been receiving treatment in a Swiss hospital, returning to normal. Just over two weeks before Jordan's change of king, another Arab leader, King Farouq of Egypt, was expelled from the country by some military officers in a campaign to purge his government of corruption. The new king, Hussein I, is a student at Harrow School in England. He enjoys riding horses and driving his own car. He speaks English fluently and hopes to attend the prestigious Sandhorst Military Academy in the UK after graduating from Harrow School.