He studied economics and went into investment banking in London. His relationship to the last king of Iraq, said Faisal Khargouli, a supporter and spokesman, is that he is a cousin from both his mother's and his father's sides within the web of the Hashemite dynasty. But some challenge his claim to be the rightful successor. While Sharif Ali has been recognized by the United States and the Iraqi exile movement as head of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement, others say the throne would belong to a rival, Prince Raad, who lives in Amman, Jordan, and plays a prominent role in the household of King Abdullah II of Jordan, the only currently ruling Hashemite. Relations between Amman and the exiles are icy.
History offers another more ominous lesson for the monarchists.