King Abdullah II of Jordan and his half-brother Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein made their first joint public appearance since a palace quarrel last week.
On Sunday, members of the Jordanian royal family commemorated the centenary of the founding of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British dominion that led the kingdom.
The royal palace published a photo with Abdullah II, Prince Hamzah, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and other personalities at the tomb of King Talal in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Hamzah, the former crown prince, has been seen for the first time since being placed under some form of house arrest amid accusations that he was involved in a conspiracy to destabilize the kingdom.
The king and prince had a rare public breakup last week, with Abdullah II portraying it as a riotous act, including his half-brother and two other senior officials. Hamzah refused any wrongdoing. At least 18 other people were arrested in association with the plot.
Abdullah declared on Wednesday that Hamzah, who had signed a letter pledging his loyalty to the king after mediation by an uncle, was safe in his palace under his “care”.
In a speech he read on state television, the king said that ‘sedition has been put in the germ’.
Abdullah and Hamzah are sons of the late King Al Hussein bin Talal, who governed for almost half a century till his passing in 1999.
Hamzah was appointed crown prince and heir to the throne in 1999 in accordance with the wishes of his father, but Abdullah deprived him of the title in 2004 and appointed his oldest son Hussein in Hamzah’s position.
Hamzah, in a video message released by the BBC on April 3, claims he has been placed under house arrest and accuses Jordan’s rulers of corruption and disability.
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi then accused a group of plotters of conspiring with foreign parties to destabilize Jordan but refused to identify them.
After conciliation talks, however, Hamza expressed his loyalty to the king.
“Prince Hamzah has promised the family to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, to remain true to their mission and to put Jordan’s interests, constitution and laws above all considerations,” the king said on Wednesday.
An investigation into the events continues, the king added.
The crisis has exposed divisions in a pro-Western country, normally seen as a bulwark of security in the Middle East.
Jordan borders Israel and the conquered West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It houses US troops and is home to millions of exiled Palestinians and many Syrian refugees.
The king’s address follows orders issued by Amman’s prosecutor, Hassan al-Abdallat, banning the publication of any information about the alleged conspiracy to keep the security services’ investigation secret.
The UN’s human rights office said on Friday it was concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the alleged conspiracy.