Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Biography

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was born in Doha in 1980, the fourth son of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. He was educated in England at Sherborne and Harrow and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1998, after which he was commissioned in the Qatari armed forces. He became heir apparent in August 2003, when his elder brother Jassim gave up the claim, and was named deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces the same day.

As crown prince he was groomed in security and economic posts and promoted sport as a way to raise Qatar's profile: he founded Oryx Qatar Sports Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain, in 2005 and chaired the organising committee of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

Tamim became emir on 25 June 2013 when his father abdicated, making him one of the world's youngest monarchs. His reign has seen the 2022 FIFA World Cup, large infrastructure projects and labour reforms under international criticism of the treatment of migrant workers. He led Qatar through the three-year blockade by neighbouring Gulf states that began in 2017, held the first elections to the Shura Council in 2021, and has made Qatar a frequent mediator in regional conflicts.