Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

• Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was born into the Thani dynasty of Doha, Qatar, which had ruled the Emirate for nearly a century.

• Soon after his birth, his mother died, so he was raised by his uncle.

• Hamad’s father has five sons and seventeen daughters from his four wives. Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani  is the eldest son of his father.

• Before attending the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Hamad bin Khalifa, received his early education in Qatar.

• In 1971, after graduation, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in Qatar’s armed forces.

• After few of his joining he returned to Qatar and was made commander of a mobile brigade, which later became a force called “Hamad Brigade.”

• In 1972, Hamad was promoted to the rank of general, and became army chief of staff.

• Then, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Qatar’s armed forces with the rank of major general.

• In 1977, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became minister of defense, and was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

• In the same year, he was officially named the Crown Prince of Qatar.

• During the late 1970s and 1980s, he headed Qatar’s Supreme Planning Council, which was responsible for the country’s economic and social development plans.

• In 1992, his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani gave him greater responsibility by appointing him to oversee the day-to-day administration of Qatar.

• In 1995, while his father was on a vacation in Geneva, Switzerland, Hamad carried out a bloodless coup d’état with the support of his family and became the Emir of Qatar. The coup followed disagreements between Hamad and his father after his father tried to take back some of the powers he had delegated to Hamad.

• After becoming Emir, Hamad hired an American law firm to freeze his father’s overseas bank accounts to prevent any attempt to regain power.

• In 1995, Hamad and his second wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founded the Qatar Foundation to promote education, research, and community development in Qatar.
  

  Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned (extreme left) with former the USA President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama

• In 1996, Hamad founded renowned Arab news network, Al Jazeera, which later became one of the most influential news networks in the Arab world.

• In 1998, he abolished the Ministry of Information in Qatar and allowed greater freedom for the media.

• During Hamad’s rule, Qatar held its first Chamber of Commerce elections in 1996 and its first municipal elections in 1999, where women were allowed to vote and contest for the first time.

• In 2003, Qatar adopted a new constitution after a national referendum held during his rule.

• Hamad invested heavily in Qatar’s liquefied national gas (LNG) sector, and helped country to become one of the world’s leading LNG exporters.

• During his 18-year rule, Qatar’s liquefied national gas (LNG) production grew to 77 million tonnes per years. This helped make Qatar the richest country in the world by per capita income, with an average annual income of about US$86,440 per person.

• In 2005, under the direction of Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Qatar Investment Authority was established, a sovereign wealth fund to manage the country’s oil and natural gas surpluses.

• In the same year, Hamad establish the Qatar Museums Authority to promote art and culture. Durng his rule, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha was built and Qatar became one of the world’s biggest buyers of contemporary arts, including the purchase of Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players in 2012 for more than US$250 million.

• In 2005, he donated US$100 million to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

• Under the support of Hamad bin Khalifa and his second wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, several leading universities including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Texas A&M University and Weill Cornell Medical College, opened campuses in Doha.

• Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was a sports lover. He actively promoted sports in Qatar and supported the development of athletics in the country.

• Under his leadership, Qatar won its first Olympic medal in athletics, hosted several major international sporting events, including the 15th Asian Games and youth football championships, and launched the Qatar Open Tennis Championship, which became one of the leading tennis tournaments in the middle East.

• Additionally, under his leadership several sports and diplomatic events took place in Qatar, including the 2006 Asian Games, Doha Agreement (2008), 2011 AFC Asian Cup, 2012 UN Climate Change Conference, and Fatah–Hamas Doha Agreement (2012).

•  By 2013, through the Qatar Investment Authority, Hamad bin invested more than US$100 billion in major international companies and properties, including The Shard, Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen, Siemens, and Royal Dutch Shell.

• His investment strategy helped strengthen Qatar’s global influence and contributed to the country’s successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and becoming the first Arab and Muslim country to host the tournament.
  

  Hamad bin Khalifa al Thaniwith his wife Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser al-Misnad holding the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy

• In October 2012, Hamad bin became the first head of state to visit Gaza since 2006 and donated US$400 million for humanitarian and infrastructure projects. During his rule, Qatar maintained contacts with both Hamas and Israel and also introduced anti-terror laws to deal with terrorism and terror financing.

• On 25 June 2013, Hamad, handed power to his fourth son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was born to his second wife, Moza bint Nassir. In a television speech, he said,

The time has come to open a new page in the journey of our nation that would have a new generation carry the responsibilities.”

• After stepping down, he became known as the Father Emir of Qatar.

• Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is often called “founding father of Modern Qatar.” He was also known for helping in building modern Qatar through major investment in education, scientific, research, sports and media, which increased the country’s global influence.

• For several years, Hamad bin suffered from several health problems. In 1997, he underwent a kidney transplant. Later he had another kidney transplant and dialysis treatment. In December 2015, he was flown to Zurich, Switzerland, for treatment after he broke his leg during a holiday in Morocco.

• On 12 July 2026, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani died in Doha. After his death the Qatari government declared four days of national mourning.
  

  A screenshot of picture released by the Arab media offices, mourners pray over the body of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, at the Mohammed bin Abdulwahab Mosque in Doha, Qatar

• On 13 July 2026, Indian government also announce one day national mourning to honour Hamad bin Thani. As a mark of respect, the National Flag was flown at half-mast across India and no official entertainment was held during the day.

• The Indian Ministry if External Affairs announced that Kiren Rijiji would visit Qatar to convey India’s condolences on behalf of the Government of India.

Ministry of External Affairs- "Government of India has declared one-day national mourning tomorrow, 13 July 2026, as a mark of respect for His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Father Amir of the State of Qatar, who passed away today."

The National Flag will be flown… pic.twitter.com/sVhTwm9cVx

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2026