Mohammed VI of Morocco

Mohammed VI
محمد السادس
Amir al-Mu'minin
Mohammed VI in 2022
King of Morocco
Reign23 July 1999 – present
PredecessorHassan II
Heir apparentMoulay Hassan
Born (1963-08-21) 21 August 1963 (age 61)
Rabat, Morocco
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2018)​
Issue
Detail
Names
Sidi Mohammed bin Hassan al-Alawi
سيدي محمد بن الحسن العلوي
Arabicمحمد السادس
DynastyAlawi
FatherHassan II
MotherPrincess Lalla Latifa
ReligionSunni Islam

Mohammed VI (Arabic: محمد السادس, romanized: Muḥammad as-sādis; born 21 August 1963)[1] is King of Morocco. A member of the 'Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.[2]

Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco. His net worth has been estimated at between US$2.1 billion[3] and over US$5.2 billion.[4][5] In 2015, Forbes named him the richest king in Africa and the fifth wealthiest monarch in the world.[6][7]

Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, Mudawana, granting women in Morocco more power.[8] Leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks in 2010 led to allegations of corruption in the court of Mohammed, implicating him and his closest advisors.[9] In 2011, protests in Morocco that were considered part of the wider Arab Spring occurred against alleged government corruption. In response, Mohammed enacted several reforms and introduced a new constitution. These reforms were passed by public referendum on 1 July 2011.[10]

  1. ^ "King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan". Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  2. ^ "World: Africa Mohammed VI takes Moroccan throne". BBC News. 24 July 1999. Archived from the original on 8 July 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  3. ^ Hoffower, Hillary. "Meet the 10 richest billionaire royals in the world right now". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. ^ "2015 Africa's 50 Richest Net Worth: #5 King Mohammed VI". Forbes. 18 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  5. ^ Mfonobong, Nsehe (27 February 2018). "King Mohammed VI Of Morocco Undergoes Heart Surgery In Paris". Forbes. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  6. ^ "The 5 richest kings in Africa". Forbes. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  7. ^ "The Muslim 500 – The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims – 2023" (PDF). Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBCProfile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Black, Ian (6 December 2010). "WikiLeaks cables accuse Moroccan royals of corruption". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).