Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein (Arabic: الشريف علي بن الحسين; 1956 – 14 March 2022) was the leader of the Iraqi Constitutional Monarchy political party and claimed to be the legitimate heir to the position of King of Iraq, based on his relationship to the last monarch, the late King Faisal II. Born in Baghdad, Ali was raised in Lebanon and Britain after the 1958 coup d'état that overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq. Before entering politics, he worked as an investment banker in London.
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Early life
After the loss of Mecca, Sharif Ali's parents settled in Iraq where his mother Badiya's sister, Aliya bint Ali, was queen consort. He was born in Iraq and his maternal first cousin was Faisal II of Iraq, the last king of Iraq, his maternal grandfather was Ali bin Hussein, last King of Hejaz, and his paternal grandfather was the uncle of both Faisal I of Iraq and Ali bin Hussein. 'Abd al-Ilah was his uncle.
On 14 July 1958, when Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim took control of the Kingdom of Iraq by a coup d'état, the royal family was ordered to leave the palace in Baghdad: King Faisal II; Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah; Princess Hiyam, Abdul Ilah's wife; Princess Nafissa, Abdul Ilah's mother; Princess Abdiya, the king's maternal aunt; and several servants. When they all arrived in the courtyard, they were told to turn towards the palace wall, and they were all shot down by Captain Abdus Sattar As Sab', a member of the coup led by Colonel Abd al-Karim Qasim. Nuri as-Said, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Iraq, was killed by supporters of Colonel Abd al-Karim Qasim on 15 July 1958.