Mohammed VI of Morocco

His Majesty King Mohammed VI (Arabic: الملك محمد السادس للمغرب) a.k.a. King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan was born in Rabat, Morocco on August 21, 1963. Before becoming king, he held the title of crown prince. He was enthroned July 23, 1999, hours after the death of his father King Hassan II. The young King soon became known as a moderniser who brought about a constitutional monarchy. Mohammed VI first created Morocco's office of prime minister.

Shortly after he took the throne, he addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption, while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. Mohammed VI is generally opposed by Islamist conservatives. His support for political pluralism has angered some fundamentalists.

H.M. King Mohammed VI has one brother Prince Moulay Rachid and three sisters Princess Lalla Meryem, Princess Lalla Asma and Princess Lalla Hasna.

In Rabat, on 21 March 2002, the king married Salma Bennani (now Princess Lalla Salma), a former computer engineer from Fez, whom he gave the title Princess, the first time a Moroccan sovereign's wife has been so acknowledged. They have one child, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, who was born on May 8, 2003.