Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Arabic: تميم بن حمد آل ثاني‎; born 3 June 1980) is the current Emir of Qatar.  Tamim was educated in the United Kingdom. Like his father, he attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, graduating in 1998. He then returned to Qatar, where he was commissioned as an officer in the Qatari armed forces. In 2003 Tamim was selected to replace as crown prince his elder brother Jassim, who had renounced the position. He was then emir of Qatar after his 61-year-old father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, announced his abdication as leader. As emir, Tamim maintained close ties with the United States. But he also built cordial ties with Iran, which most of Qatar's neighbours regard as a serious threat. As of 2018, Tamim is the youngest reigning monarch among the GCC countries and the youngest current sovereign worldwide.