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Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco

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Lalla Salma
Lalla Salma aged 34
Lalla Salma in 2012
Princess consort of Morocco
Tenure12 July 2002 – c. March 2018
BornSalma Bennani
(1977-05-10) 10 May 1977 (age 47)
Fez, Morocco
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2018)​
[1][2]
Issue
FatherAbdelhamid Bennani
MotherNaïma Bensouda[3]
ReligionSunni Islam

Princess Lalla Salma (born Salma Bennani, Arabic: سلمى بناني, 10 May 1977)[4][5] is the former wife of Mohammed VI of Morocco. They married in 2002, and she became the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged.[6] She was last seen in an official capacity in December 2017,[7][8].

Early life and education

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She was born as Salma Bennani in Fez.[4] Her father is Abdelhamid Bennani, a university teacher who taught at l'École normale supérieure de Fès[9] and her mother is Naïma Bensouda,[10] who died in 1981 when Salma was three years old. From then on, she and her sister Meryem (who became a doctor)[11] were raised by her maternal grandmother, Fatma Abdellaoui Maâne. She lived in Rabat, with her half cousin Saira, and the two are commonly seen together in public.

She was educated in Rabat, where she attended a private school, Lycée Hassan II, Lycée Moulay Youssef, and the École nationale supérieure d'informatique et d'analyse des systèmes [fr]. After completing her engineering studies, she worked for a few months as an information services engineer at ONA Group, the country's largest private holding company (which is also controlled by the Moroccan royal family).

She is fluent in Arabic and French, and also speaks Spanish, which she learned later on.[12]

Marriage and children

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Lalla Salma became engaged to King Mohammed VI, whom she first met during a private party in 1999, on 12 October 2001.[5] Their first wedding ceremony, the sadaq ceremony (or proclamation of marriage) took place on 20 March 2002; and the zafaf (or celebration of marriage) took place on 12 and 13 July 2002[13] at Dar al-Makhzen (the principal Royal palace) in Rabat.[14]

Issue

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Name Date of birth Place of birth Age
Crown Prince Moulay Hassan (2003-05-08)8 May 2003 Dar al-Makhzen, Rabat, Morocco 21
Princess Lalla Khadija (2007-02-28)28 February 2007 Dar al-Makhzen, Rabat, Morocco 17

Activities and tributes

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She was President in Morocco of the:

  • (2005-2019) Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.[15]

Lalla Salma kept quite a low profile as Princess of Morocco, although a more public one than her predecessors. Before her divorce in 2018, she was President of the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.[16] This foundation was created in September 2005, and has also been involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. Lalla Salma also presided annually over the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, where the Foundation presented the achievements of its "Tobacco-Free Colleges and High Schools" program (launched in November 2007).[17][18] After her divorce, she stoped performeing any public engagements. It has been reported that she is still active in the foundation, but there is no specific information confirming her continued presidency. Press releases from the Foundation only mention the work of the foundation under the leadership of its Executive Director, Dr. Rachid Bekkali.[19]

In 2006, Princess Lalla Salma was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organization for the Cancer Care, Promotion and Prevention. Besides being involved in cancer and HIV/AIDS prevention, she also supports and encourages women's empowerment.[20]

From 2004 to her divorce in 2018, she presided over the opening ceremony of the Fez Sacred Music Festival, an event under the Patronage of King Mohammed VI.[21]

Lalla Salma represented the King and Morocco in meetings and gatherings in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Thailand, Palestine, Tunisia and France. On 29 April 2011, she attended the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton. She also attended the wedding of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in 2012 and 2013 inauguration of King Willem-Alexander.[22]

In May 2017, the "Mosque H.R.H. Princess Lalla Salma"[23] was built in her honor and inaugurated in Fez. Built on Al Mizane Square, the mosque has a capacity of more than 3,000 worshippers.[24][23]

Since her divorce, she occasionally took on engagements in a private capacity,[1][2] and was last seen attending one in 2021.[25]

Divorce

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At the beginning of 2018, her media absence was noted.[26] Her last public appearance was in December 2017 at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat.[27]

In 2018, Spanish and Italian media reported that it was Lalla Salma who requested the divorce.[28] She had already left her husband before his hospitalization on February 26, 2018, which explained her absence at the king's bedside (after his heart arrhythmia surgery in Paris).[29] The media added that she had left the Dar Es Salam in Rabat and was living somewhere in Rabat.[30] On March 21, 2018, the magazine '¡Hola!', citing anonymous sources, explained that the princess and the sovereign had divorced and that the custody of the two children remained with His Majesty.[31][30] Their divorce was reportedly effective and confirmed by sources close to the palace, although not officially commented on.[29]

Spanish journalist Andrea Mori claimed: 'In talking with a friend in Morocco, [I learned] that it is likely that money is given to Lalla Salma and that she be hidden from the public...'.[32] Her divorce from the king resulted in her exclusion from all public appearances and the removal of all her official duties.[33] She was also reportedly forbidden from keeping the expensive jewelry she had received as gifts during her marriage.[34]

After her divorce, Lalla Salma remained in Morocco, which denied rumors that she had settled in France, where she had many friends, or in Greece, where she owned properties.[33] Staying close to her children was a priority for her.[33] Regarding her new life after Dar Es Salam, she lived in the residential area of Rabat and had 'regular visits to the palace to see her children'.[30]

In 2019, the French lawyer of the King of Morocco, Éric Dupond-Moretti, referred to Lalla Salma as the 'ex-wife'.[35][36] This statement unofficially confirmed the royal couple's divorce.[36]

On January 8, 2025, the magazine Gala explained that it is now Lalla Salma who holds custody of her children and that she has been authorized to return to the Dar Es Salam palace and live there with her children.[37]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Owen-Jones, Juliette (21 July 2019). "King Mohammed VI, Ex-Wife Lalla Salma Deny Rumors of Custody Conflict". Morocco World News. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b Diallo, Abubakr (22 June 2022). "Les Marocains condamnés à définitivement oublier Lalla Salma ?" [Are Moroccans condemned to forget Lalla Salma for good?]. Afrik (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco turns 36: facts about the royal". HELLO!. 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b "RWB" (in French). Reporters sans frontières (Morocco)/VSD. 7 March 2002. Archived from the original on 25 December 2003. Retrieved 28 August 2015. During March, His Majesty Mohammed VI will get married. The lucky winner, Salma Bennani, is a young woman of 25, native of Fez and from the upper middle class
  5. ^ a b "L'annonce du prochain mariage de Mohammed VI lève une hypothèque au Maroc". Le Monde.fr (in French). 15 October 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2022. The fiancée of Mohammed VI – younger than him by fourteen years – is said to be from Fez
  6. ^ McLaughlin, Chelsea (25 February 2019). "As Meghan and Harry tour Morocco, the mystery of its missing Princess looms in the background". Mamamia. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  7. ^ "'Vanished without a trace': Mystery of Morocco's 'ghost princess'". NZ Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Where is Morocco's Princess Lalla Salma now?". South China Morning Post. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Maroc : Lalla Salma, la princesse aux pieds nus – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  10. ^ Africa Analysis: The Fortnightly Bulletin on Financial and Political Trends. Africa Analysis Limited. 2001. p. 18. The government has announced the engagement of King Mohammed VI to Salma Bennani , the daughter of Hadj Abdelhamid Bennani and the late Naima Bensouda
  11. ^ "Docteur Bennani Meryem | Gastro-entérologue". docteurbennanimeryem.ma (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Le Marocain Elie Mamane dit tout sur sa rencontre avec Mohammed VI à Miami". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  13. ^ "King Mohamed VI of Morocco sits with his wife Princess Lalla Salma at..." Getty Images. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  14. ^ "King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Princess Lalla Salma divorce". HELLO!. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Lalla Salma Association Against Cancer". UICC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
  16. ^ "SAR la Princesse Lalla Salma assiste à Paris aux travaux du Congrès mondial contre le cancer". Maroc.ma (in French). 1 November 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  17. ^ Presse (MAP), Agence Maghreb Arabe (31 May 2016). "Journée sans tabac: Lalla Salma sur tous les fronts". LeSiteinfo.com (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Journée Mondiale Sans Tabac". www.contrelecancer.ma (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  19. ^ ALM (22 May 2024). "Financement et économie de la santé : Remise des diplômes à la première promotion des cadres de la CNOPS". Aujourd'hui le Maroc (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  20. ^ "HRH Princess Salma Bennani Biography". Arab Royal Family. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  21. ^ MATIN, LE (29 May 2004). "S.A.R. la Princesse Lalla Salma ouvre la 10e édition du Festival de Fès des musiques sacrées : lueurs de paix dans une nuit sacrée". Le Matin.ma (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco,..." Getty Images. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  23. ^ a b MATIN, LE. "Ahmed Toufiq : «La Mosquée S.A.R. la Princesse Lalla Salma, un nouvel édifice religieux construit selon les normes architecturales marocaines authentiques»". lematin.ma (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  24. ^ "SM le Roi, Amir Al-Mouminine, inaugure à Fès la «Mosquée SAR la Princesse Lalla Salma» et y accomplit la prière du vendredi". Maroc.ma (in French). 19 May 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  25. ^ "PHOTOS - Lalla Salma du Maroc fait son grand retour !". Public.fr (in French). 9 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  26. ^ "L'absence de Lalla Salma, sujet tabou pour la presse marocaine". Le Desk (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  27. ^ Hebdo, Équipe Maroc (13 December 2017). "La princesse Lalla Salma préside la cérémonie d'hommage à la mémoire de l'artiste Mohamed Amine Demnati". Maroc-Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Che fine ha fatto Salma? Il mistero della moglie del re del Marocco". la Repubblica (in Italian). 10 August 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  29. ^ a b "Mohamed VI de Marruecos y la princesa Lalla Salma se divorcian". ¡HOLA! (in Spanish). 21 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  30. ^ a b c "Il mistero della principessa di smeraldi sparita dalla corte del Marocco da 7 anni". ilGiornale.it (in Italian). 5 November 2024. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  31. ^ "King Mohammed VI of Morocco and wife Princess Lalla Salma divorce". HELLO!. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Il mistero della principessa consorte sparita dalla corte del Marocco da sette anni" (in Italian).
  33. ^ a b c "Il mistero di Lalla Salma la moglie del re del Marocco svanita nel nulla". Marie Claire (in Italian). 1 April 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Nakon razvoda nestala je s lica zemlje: Svi su mislili da je mrtva, a sad se pojavila u neprepoznatljivom izdanju". story.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  35. ^ Fontaine, Nicolas (30 July 2019). "Mohammed VI confirme son divorce avec Lalla Salma". Histoires Royales (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  36. ^ a b "EXCLU - "Scandalisés" par les rumeurs, Mohammed VI et Lalla Salma du Maroc brisent le silence". Gala (in French). 20 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  37. ^ "Lalla Salma du Maroc : sa relation complice avec son fils, le prince héritier Moulay Hassan". Gala (in French). 8 January 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  38. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
  39. ^ "Princess Lalla Salma Receives WHO Gold Medal". The North Africa Post. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
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