Jordan’s King Hussein rushed back to the United States for emergency cancer treatment yesterday amid growing fears his kingdom could be plunged into an era of instability.
The exhausted and frail-looking king left Jordan for treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., just seven days after a turbulent homecoming that followed six months of chemotherapy.
The 63-year-old Hussein had just declared himself free of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
But on his return to Jordan, his doctors noticed that he had a fever, indicating a setback.
The king’s departure came after an intrigue-filled week in which he ousted his younger brother, Hassan, as crown prince and named his own 36-year old son, Abdullah, as his successor.
In designating Abdullah, a political novice, Hussein rebuked the erudite Hassan for meddling in military affairs and appearing too eager to take over as king.
Hassan’s wife reportedly was already redecorating the palace and there were fears that Hassan’s sons – not Hussein’s – would become heirs to the throne.
Hussein also bypassed teen-age Prince Hamza – favorite son of his fourth and current wife, the glamorous, U.S.-born Queen Noor.