Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
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| Salma Bennani | |
|---|---|
| Princess Consort of Morocco | |
| Titles | HRH The Princess Consort (2002-) Miss Salma Bennani (1978-2002) |
| Born | May 10, 1978 |
| Birthplace | Fez, Morocco |
| Consort | March 21, 2002 - present |
| Consort to | King Mohammed VI |
| Offspring | Crown Prince Moulay Hassan Princess Lalla Khadija. |
| Royal House | Alaouite |
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco (Arabic: الأميرة للا سلمى) born Salma Bennani on May 10, 1978 is the Princess Consort of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title.
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[edit] Early Life and Education
Salma was born in Fes, Morocco to a primary school teacher father. Her mother died when she was three years old; from then on she was raised by her maternal grandmother. She lived in Rabat with her cousin Saira, the two are commonly seen in public.
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She was educated in Rabat. Upon completing her primary education, she qualified for an honors program that was initiated by the Ministry of National Education, which resulted in her obtaining a baccalaureate in 1995 with science and was her class valedictorian. After as an information services engineer at the ONA Group, the country's largest private holding company, which is controlled by the Moroccan Royal Family.
[edit] Marriage and Children
Salma married King Mohammed VI on March 21, 2002, at the Royal Palace in Rabat. They have two children:
- Crown Prince Moulay Hassan born May 8, 2003
- Princess Lalla Khadija born February 28, 2007
| Styles of Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco |
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| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
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| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
[edit] Royal Role
Salma has kept quite a low profile as first lady of Morocco, although a more public one than her antecessors in the role, who the citizens did not normally see. She has been supporting cancer associations and the Fez Sacred Music Festival. She also met quite a number of foreign royalty during official visits to Morocco where she was the host to them or royal gatherings such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Paola of Belgium, Queen Sofía of Spain, Sheikha Mozah of Qatar, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Infanta Cristina of Spain or Princess Takamado of Japan. She also represented Morocco and her husband. She has also represented the King and Morocco in meetings and gatherings such as in Thailand, Japan and France. She also founded a cancer prevention association in Morocco and has been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa work.
She has attended several visits abroad to discuss topics such as diseases (AIDS, Cancer) or women empowerment. Recently, she visited Tunisia and Saudi Arabia as an ambassador to these activities.
[edit] Leisure and activities
Salma has been referred to as a traditional woman who enjoys Moroccan tradition and costumes. Lalla Salma is keen on fashion and can either be seen wearing opulent traditional Moroccan kaftans or dressed in a more occidental style. Salma was seen wearing Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Christian Dior, Chanel, Balmain, Elie Saab and Balenciaga and jewels by Garrard, Boucheron and Cartier.
