Ever since the GCC Qatar crisis has happened, many want to know the man at the center of one of GCC’s most shocking rifts in recent times. HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the eighth and current Emir of Qatar. He became Emir of Qatar on 25th June 2013 after his father HH Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's abdication.
HH Tamim bin Hamad was born on 3 June 1980 in Doha, Qatar. He is the fourth son of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and second son of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al Missned, Hamad's second wife. Tamim was educated at Great Britain's Sherborne in Dorset and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst graduating in 1998. Sheikh Hamad's abdication broke the mould of Gulf politics, where rulers traditionally remain on the throne until they die.
Sheikh Tamim was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Qatar Armed Forces upon graduation from Sandhurst. He became the heir apparent to the Qatar throne on 5 August 2003, when his elder brother Sheikh Jassim renounced his claim to the title. Since then he was groomed to take over rule, working in top security and economics posts. In 2009, he was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of Qatar's armed forces. To his credit, Sheikh Tamim promoted sport as part of Qatar's bid to raise its international profile. He heads the Qatar Investment Authority board of directors. Under his leadership, the fund has invested billions in British businesses like Barclays Bank, Harrods and even owns a share of Europe's fourth tallest building, the Shard.
According to a diplomatic source close to the Al Thani family, Sheikh Tamim has "a strong personality" that allowed him to "establish himself within the ruling family" despite not being the family's first choice for Emir. He is described as friendly, confident, and open by those who know him. He is also described as savvy, careful, and calculating. In addition, he is considered to be a pragmatist, and to have "excellent relations" with the West including the United States and France. In 2005, Sheikh Tamim married his second cousin Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani. They have four children. A second marriage in 2009 to Sheikha Anoud bint Mana al-Hajri brought two further children - in total, three sons and three daughters. Under Sheikh Tamim's rule Qatar has continued on the path set by his father, with his mother, Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, remaining one of the key driving forces in the country's politics.
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