(Article published in July 2010)
On Monday June 21, 2010, Prince Moulay Rachid was in M’zoudia, in the province of Chichaoua, for the inauguration of the Marrakech-Agadir freeway. This pharaonic project provides the country with a 225-km stretch of road, at an estimated cost of 8 billion dirhams. After listening to the traditional presentation by Karim Ghellab, Minister of Transport, and Othmane Fassi Fihri, Managing Director of the Moroccan Highways Agency (Autoroutes du Maroc), the Prince drove along the 200-meter stretch of road. This grand inauguration, with Moulay Rachid as master of ceremonies, is far from being anecdotal.
The day before, Mohammed VI’s youngest son had celebrated his 40th birthday. Was this some kind of « gift » from the King? Quite possibly, given the enormity of the project. More prosaically, Mohammed VI, who was touring the Rif, may have sent his brother as a luxury replacement, as is customary. It’s hard to know, though, as everything takes place in a very restricted inner circle. Just between him and his brother the king.
Profession : king’s brother
As the Constitution does not grant the Prince any specific status, his activities are dictated to him by Mohammed VI himself, the only person authorized to appoint Moulay Rachid. « Sometimes, the king decides at the last minute to entrust him with this or that mission. I’ve been told that it doesn’t always please him, » says Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero, who has met Mohammed VI and his brother on several occasions.
However, in an interview with the Saudi magazine Arrajoul (The Man) in July 2001, the only one he has given to date, Moulay Rachid asserts the opposite: « I am at the service of His Majesty, at his disposal at all times to carry out any mission he may entrust to me. This is my fundamental mission with His Majesty, and all other occupations are secondary to it ».
As you’d expect, brother to the king is a full-time job: diplomatic missions abroad, welcoming foreign delegations, visiting crowned heads in convalescence, funerals of heads of state, acting as Morocco’s standard-bearer at Fifa to defend Morocco’s bid for the 2010 World Cup… the prince is all about public relations. « Mohammed VI was trained to be king and assume responsibilities, Moulay Rachid to be a public figure and represent the monarchy », analyzes a former schoolmate of the king.
Fluent in English and Spanish, in addition to French and Arabic, Moulay Rachid is close to the Gulf emirs, as well as to several world political figures, and enjoys the esteem of the Elysée Palace. All criteria that have made him the voice of his brother.
Family, I love you
Moulay Rachid is absolutely loyal to his family. » He’s fascinated by Hassan II and considers his father a hero, just like any other son, » confides journalist Khalid Jamaï, who worked with the prince for many years. Like the late king, he pays regular courtesy visits to all the members of the royal family, aunts, sisters, cousins, even asking about them when they’re abroad.
Moulay Rachid can even be paternalistic. Lalla Soukaïna, on vacation in London, knows all about it. The Prince gave instructions that she was to be pampered. Housekeeper, chauffeur-driven car, etc., the whole package for his niece. « The Alawite family is like all Moroccan families. You get angry, you love each other and you have your favorites. It’s the outside world that makes them sacred, but between them they have human relations like anyone else, » confides a connoisseur of the court.
The King’s brother has never expressed any negative opinion on Mohammed VI’s reign. The only official reservation came from the sovereign himself. In an interview with Le Figaro in 2001, Mohammed VI said: « When I came to the throne, I told my brother: ‘If I change, let me know. And some time ago, I asked him if I had changed. He replied: ‘Yes, a little bit' ».
Other than that, Moulay Rachid has always remained on his toes. In February 2007, the Spanish daily El Mundo and Algerian newspapers wrote that there were differences between him and the King « on how to run the country », going so far as to suggest that the Prince « had opted for a voluntary exile in the United States ». A few days later, the Prince attended the funeral of Mohamed Aouad, his late father’s advisor, true to his role as the King’s representative at the funeral. Just by his presence, without comment, he put an end to the rumor mill.
Not a talker
Even in ordinary times, Moulay Rachid is a man of few words. A close friend describes him as a man of few words, more of a listener, filling his silences by cracking his knuckles. « This reserve is undoubtedly the result of the austere upbringing imposed by his father. Something of it remains, » says Khalid Jamaï. However, the prince is freer than his brother, who is destined to reign: « While Smyet Sidi (name used to call the crown prince), even as a child, had to weigh up his every move, Moulay Rachid could be more outgoing. I remember one afternoon with friends, when his Spanish governess encouraged him to push a friend into the pool », confides a former classmate of Mohammed VI.
Moulay Rachid is not much of a stickler for protocol, if Khalid Jamaï is to be believed: « A few years ago, L’Opinion forgot to present him with his best wishes in its columns. The publication’s director was devastated, fearing that the prince would take offense, » recounts the daily’s former editor-in-chief. That evening, Jamaï informed Moulay Rachid of this oversight, who greeted the news with a shrug.
Another similar anecdote: in 2005, during the Marrakech Film Festival, two journalists managed to sneak into a private party organized by the prince, under the noses of the security service. The next day, the Palais des Congrès in the ochre city, where the journalists’ HQ is located, was visited by unexpected guests: elements of the DGSN, who had come to investigate this blunder in princely security. The two journalists feared the worst but nothing happened. They were simply scolded and placed on the list of people never to be invited to Marrakech again.
Friends first
« Moulay Rachid shares one thing in common with his father: he’s loyal to his friends, » says Khalid Jamaï. « Even when I was a fervent opponent of Driss Basri, he never hesitated to visit me. He also kept in touch with Tewfiq Basri, the son of the former Minister of the Interior, when the latter was in disgrace », says the journalist.
Except that being close to a prince doesn’t mean being friends with anyone. Contacted to talk about Moulay Rachid, whom he sees regularly, Tangier Free Zone manager Jamal Mikou was content to say: « He’s an exceptional man. That’s all I can say ». There’s a constant fear of becoming the victim of a temporary sulk, or even of a definitive quarrel. In this milieu, they even invented an expression to define this disgrace: you’re « disqua », short for « disqualified ». The expression is also used by Mohammed VI’s inner circle. It’s the only thing the King’s friends have in common with those of his brother. Usually, « those close to one do not mix with those close to the other », confides a connoisseur of the royal siblings.
There is, however, one exception to the rule. His name is Mounir Majidi. The King’s private secretary entered the Alaouite circle through Nawfel Osman, the son of Hassan II’s sister and Ahmed Osman, at a time when Nawfel was closer to Moulay Rachid than to Mohammed VI. « Then, Mounir Majidi went from Moulay Rachid’s clique to that of the future king« , confides a close friend of the prince.
Golf, hunting, cinema, etc.
Golf and horse-riding were Hassan II’s hobbies. “My brother and I shared the task, » explained Mohammed VI in 2001. I’m a good horseman and he’s a good golfer ». Moulay Rachid, whose swing is considered « athletic », treads the greens several times a week in a private capacity. And in an official capacity, he has taken over the reins of the Hassan II Golf Trophy in Dar Es Salam, looking after his late father’s baby like his own child. » He is omnipresent during the competition, » confides a journalist familiar with the event.
And he’s got his eye on everything. During the last trophy, the tournament’s official newspaper published a MAP (Morocco’s Press Agency) dispatch announcing a meeting in Algiers on terrorism in the Sahel, to which Morocco had not been invited. Moulay Rachid, visiting the press center, asked to meet the journalist responsible for the review. « It’s better to concentrate on golf. There are other newspapers to publish this type of information », he advised him in a « serene and relaxed » tone, according to the journalist concerned.
The rest of the time, Moulay Rachid tries his hand at basketball, once a week swapping the NBA show-off for a discreet hunting trip. And, like Mohammed VI, he has a weakness for painting. In fact, he suffers from the same acute collector’s disease. The Prince has acquired several works by Hassan El Glaoui, Fouad Bellamine and Mohamed Melehi, his three favorite painters. He also feeds his collection by focusing on young artists, « as a way of encouraging them », says a member of his cabinet.
When it comes to cinema, Moulay Rachid is said to be a good cinema-goer, appreciating American films, from blockbusters to sureties such as Francis Ford Coppola. « We often exchanged films. One day, he insisted that I give him the Godfather trilogy, » confides Khalid Jamaï.
The Prince’s men
« Every task entrusted to the Prince is supervised by the Royal Protocol Department », says one of his close associates. This department sends Moulay Rachid a memorandum on the mission to be accomplished. The Prince then consults with Mohammed VI, and, when international representations are involved, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taïeb Fassi Fihri.
Like his brother, Moulay Rachid has surrounded himself with collaborators who have worn out their trousers on the same benches as him at the royal college. His secretariat, located in the Nay residence a stone’s throw from the Dar Essalam Royal Golf Club, is headed by Khalid Sakhi, a former classmate. He is in charge of mission follow-up and public relations, and oversees all Moulay Rachid’s personal affairs.
As for the Prince’s office, located in a villa in Rabat’s upmarket Ambassadeurs district, it is run by another fellow student, Mehdi Jouahri, son of the wali of Bank Al-Maghrib. Comprising a team of six people, the cabinet oversees Moulay Rachid’s official activities, and provides him with memos on the sports sectors and the Marrakech International Festival that they oversee. Moulay Rachid’s office also scours newspapers for him, compiling all information relating to the monarchical institution, the army, the economy and political life in Morocco.
According to a staff member, his boss waits for situations to settle before making a decision. « I’ll think about it… » is the expression that comes up most often in his mouth, continues our source. When at work, the Prince congratulates his collaborators in public, but when it comes to reprimanding them, he does so in private.
When away from his bases, the Prince always travels with his Chief of Staff, Mehdi Jouahri, his personal physician, and Abdeslam Lakhlifi, the man in charge of his security. Faithful among the faithful, « he has never left Moulay Rachid since he took office », confides the prince’s cabinet. Lakhlifi works under the supervision of the DGSN, and adapts his team to the importance of the Prince’s missions. Should the need arise, Lakhlifi can simply ask the Ministry of the Interior for an extension, and receive it immediately.
The prince on the front page. Embarrassing sacredness
In 1973, three-year-old Prince Moulay Rachid was photographed in front of the Rabat headquarters of L’Opinion. The photo was published in the daily’s columns, in a column that was famous at the time: « Au-delà de la photo » (« Beyond the photo »). It shows a boy in a blazer, accompanied by his governess, looking at women in jellaba sitting on the floor.
Journalist Khalid Jamaï, who knew nothing of the child’s identity, captioned the photo with a scathing « It’s not folklore, it’s reality ». It didn’t take long for the knife to fall. The police got involved and Jamaï was imprisoned for several weeks. Many years later, the journalist and Moulay Rachid became friends, but « we never talked about this episode, nor did it influence our relationship », confides Jamaï.
In February 2008, Moulay Rachid found himself unwillingly involved in a human rights case. An engineer by the name of Fouad Mourtada was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 10,000 dirhams for creating a false profile of the Prince on Facebook. The blogosphere mobilized, and human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, condemned the sentence. The affair made headlines in the national press, and soon around the world. Moulay Rachid unwillingly collected headlines.
« The Prince was very embarrassed by this story. If it had been up to him, Fouad Mourtada would never have set foot in prison. In fact, he intervened to have him released », confides a close friend. After 43 days in prison, the young computer scientist was pardoned by the King.
Report published in TelQuel n°433, July 17-23, 2010. Written by Hassan Hamdani, Ahmed Najim and Youssef Ziraoui
Edited in English by S.E.
