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Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco is first daughter and eldest child of His Majesty the late King Hassan II of Morocco and his wife Lalla Latifa Hammou, of the Zaiane tribe. She was born in Rome, Italy on August 26, 1962.
The press frequently identifies her as Princess Lalla Meryem, though this seems to be incorrect usage and redundant. The word "Lalla" is an official title frequently translated as Lady or Princess, so she would be more accurately described as Princess Meryem or Lalla Meryem. Similarly, the men of the royal house of Morocco have the word "Moulay" (Lord/Prince) appended to their first names, so would be most correctly referred to as Prince X or Moulay X, not a combination of both terms.
After she obtained the Baccalaureat in 1981, Princess Meryem was nominated by His Majesty King Hassan II the President of Social Works of the Royal Army Forces.
Princess Meryem takes great interest in the role of the women in Arab and Maghrebian society and in Morocco in particular and has been a foremost campaigner for the ratification of the International Convention for the Rights of the Child.
Holder of numerous prestigious official functions, Princess Meryem has focused much of her activities on the social and cultural realm. Princess Meryem is the President of the Moroccan Association of support to UNICEF, President of the Hassan II Foundation for the Morrocans residing at abroad, President of the Moroccan National Observatory of the Childs Rights and President of the Hassan II Foundation for the social works of the former soldiers and ex-combatants.
In July 2001, she was nominated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador with focus her Ambassadorship on UNESCO projects for women and children. Using her Royal status, she continues her outstanding work on behalf of women and children and advocate their rights on an international level.
Princess Meryem has two brothers King Mohammed VI and Prince Moulay Rachid and two sisters Princess Lalla Asma and Princess Lalla Hasna.
In 1984, she married Fouad ibn Abdellatif Filali, a businessman whose father was once Prime Minister of Morocco. They divorced in 1996 and have two children: a daughter, Lalla Soukaïna Filali (1986-) and a son, Moulay Idriss Filali (1988-).
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