In 1968, Prince El Hassan married Sarvath Ikramullah, whose family belongs to the feudal aristocracy of Bhopal state in central India.

[7][8] On 10 June 2013, he was appointed as the chairman of the advisory board on water and sanitation (UNSGAB) by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

With his newly gained powers, Hassan exercised a number of steps to consolidate his position as heir and future king, which included: (1) "orchestrating the removal of the [unpopular] government" of Abdelsalam Majali and appointing former Royal Court chief Fayez al-Tarawneh in his place, (2) organizing dialogue and reconciliation with opposition groups, most prominently the Muslim Brotherhood, and (3) attempting to effect changes at the top of the military.

[11] Crown Prince El Hassan's attempted consolidation of power led the sickly King Hussein to break off "intensive" treatments for lymphoma and fly back home to Jordan in order to address the issue.

However, Hassan's Pakistani wife Sarvath vetoed the proposal, particularly because of her reported distaste for Hamzah's American-born mother Queen Noor and her desire to have her son Prince Rashid in the line of succession.

He has also established the Al al-Bayt University in Mafraq, the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency, the Islamic Scientific Academy, the Triannual Conferences on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, the Amman Baccalaureate School, and the Al-Hassan Youth Award.

He has served as the president of the Club of Rome from 1999 to 2007, the board of directors for the Center for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at the University of Oklahoma, the Parliament of Cultures, the Royal Jordanian Polo Club, and the International Tolerance Foundation for Humanities and Social Studies, and is honorary president of the Euro-Mediterranean Association for Cooperation and Development since 2012.

'[19][20] In 2002, Prince El Hassan was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York, in recognition of his contribution to the field of post-war reconstruction and development.

[14] In 2004 he was awarded an honorary fellowship by York St John University, for his lifelong contribution to peace initiatives in the Middle East, humanitarian projects and inspirational leadership in interfaith dialogue.

[32] "Honouring the President Emeritus of the World Conference of Religions for Peace underlines Prince El Hassan's courage in defending pluralism, promoting understanding among different cultures and enhancing dialogue between Jews, Muslims and Christians.

The Prince's efforts to promote understanding between the Islamic and Western Worlds are crucial at a time when we seem to be drifting apart, with perceived differences appearing to overwhelm the many things we have in common, both culturally and religiously.