But perhaps his most notable achievement to date is becoming, at the age of 20, the youngest person to chair a United Nations Security Council during a session in December 2015. In response to the prince’s call to engage young people in peace building and countering violent extremism, the council adopted the Jordan-proposed Amman Youth Declaration.

Jordan has also avoided outright criticism of the US, even while it pursues its unrelenting support for Israel as it undermines the peace process underpinning the region, so as not to rock the boat on its billion-dollar aid package, which in the country’s current precarious state could be crucial.

His first order of business was to withdraw the controversial tax bill when his cabinet, made up of a mix of old and new faces, was sworn in on 14 June. The more difficult task will be deciding what to replace the tax bill with, given Jordan’s economic woes and dependency on international financial institutions.

Erosion of middle class incomes, discontent with quality of life, the shortage of formal sector jobs, and corruption rather than poverty and income inequality were at the root of the protests. However, King Abdullah’s willingness and ability to implement change is being put to the test.

Unions called a general strike on 30 May 2018, with 33 associations representing a broad cross section of industries participating. The strike was followed by days of mass protests in cities across the country. Protesters blocked roads, and burned tires and garbage cans. Police fired tear gas to prevent protesters getting near to the cabinet office in Amman, and scuffles broke out between protesters and police in some areas.

So while Jordan remains an island of relative calm in the region, its fragile stability could be shattered by a number of factors, including an escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, worsening or stagnant economic conditions and a continued stalling of real political reforms.