Mohammed VI of Morocco

Mohammed VI (محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco.

Mohammed VI was born on 21 August 1963 and was the second child and first son of Hassan II and his wife, Lalla Latifa.

As their eldest son, Mohammed became heir apparent from birth.

Mohammed VI's father was keen on giving him a religious and political education from an early age; at the age of four, he started attending the Quranic school at the Royal Palace.

His educational routine commenced at 6 am with an hour-long recitation of the Quran, followed by formal lessons.

He completed his first primary and secondary studies at Collège Royal, a specialized college constructed within the fortified walls of the palace.

Hassan II, desiring his son to experience competitive pressure, selected 12 classmates recognized for their intellect to accompany Mohammed VI in his studies.

Mohammed VI attained his Baccalaureate in 1981, before gaining a bachelor's degree in law at the Mohammed V University at Agdal in 1985.

His research paper dealt with "the Arab-African Union and the Strategy of the Kingdom of Morocco in matters of International Relations".

He also attended the Imperial College and University of Rabat.

He was furthermore appointed president of the Pan Arab Games, and was commissioned a Colonel Major of the Royal Moroccan Army on 26 November 1985.

In 1987, Mohammed VI obtained his first Certificat d'Études Supérieures (CES) in political sciences, and in July 1988 he obtained a Diplôme d'Études Approfondies (DEA) in public law.

In November 1988, he trained in Brussels with Jacques Delors, the President of the European Commission.

According to a biography of Mohammed VI by Ferran Sales Aige, Mohammed VI's father received reports from his spies indicating that the young prince was visiting bars regularly.

This led to a deepening dissatisfaction from the king towards his son.

In a moment of despair, Hassan II was rumored to have described Mohammed's behavior as a "chromosome error."

Mohammed VI was sent to study law in Nice, with his activities closely monitored by the interior minister dispatched by his father.

He obtained his PhD in law with distinction on 29 October 1993 from the French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis for his thesis on "EEC-Maghreb Relations".

Mohammed VI served as the Coordinator of the Offices and Services of the Royal Armed Forces until 1994.

On 12 July 1994, he was promoted to the military rank of Major General, and that same year he became president of the High Council of Culture and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Moroccan Army.

According to the New York Times, prior to ascending to the throne, Mohammed VI "gained a reputation as a playboy during the years he spent waiting in the wings, showing a fondness for fast cars and nightclubs."

Over time, a noticeable estrangement developed between him and his father.

He actively avoided encounters with Hassan II, even during his visits to Morocco.

Instead, he frequently frequented Amnesia, an illicit club located underground in the capital city.

According to Le Roi prédateur, Mohammed VI's close friend from school, Fouad Ali El Himma, facilitated his visits to Amnesia by installing a private lift from his apartment above that descended directly to the club's premises.

A member of the 'Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.

Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco.

His net worth has been estimated at between US$2.1 billion and over US$8.2 billion.

On 23 July 1999, following the death of his father, Mohammed VI ascended to the throne as king and was crowned in Rabat on 30 July.

Shortly after his accession, King Mohammed VI made a national televised address, promising to take on poverty and corruption, while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record.

Leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks in 2010 led to allegations of corruption in the court of Mohammed, implicating him and his closest advisors.

In 2011, protests 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 a public referendum on 1 July 2011.

As depicted in Le Roi prédateur, a 2012 biography authored by two French journalists, there is an account of Hassan instructing his aides to administer 20 lashes to Mohammed VI when he appeared to lag behind in his studies.

According to a childhood friend, Mohammed VI harbored fantasies about the world beyond the palace walls and seldom ventured outside.

One of his favorite songs was “Breakfast in America” by the English rock band Supertramp, which celebrates the allure of travel by jumbo jet.

Mohammed VI excelled in languages.

In 2015, Forbes named him the richest king in Africa and the fifth wealthiest monarch in the world.

Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, Mudawana, granting women more power.