AMMAN — His Majesty King Hussein on Friday received HRH Crown Prince Hassan at his home, Bab Al Salam, informed sources said.

The sources did not disclose further details of the meeting, but dismissed media reports claiming that King Hussein had sent Royal emissaries to Prince Hassan to inform him that he was officially no longer heir to the Hashemite Throne.

The sources said international agencies' reports of "Royal envoys" were "groundless."

Meanwhile, amid mounting speculations, officials and analysts said they expected King Hussein to publicly announce his decision concerning the succession to the Throne soon.

The Royal Court would neither confirm nor deny local and international media reports that King Hussein was to address the nation today.

Jordanians spent the weekend discussing statements by the King on Wednesday that he came back from his successful six-month chemotherapy treatment in the U.S. with "a lot of thoughts and ideas" about the country's future and the succession to the Throne.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, one day after his return home, the King explained that his decision in 1965 to appoint Prince Hassan as Crown Prince was prompted by the fact that "there was no substitute but to find a member of the family close by to take over." At that time of regional upheaval and instability, Prince Abdullah was only three years old. "But that did not mean at all that it was the end of the story," the King told CNN.

Sources interpreted the King's reference to the constitutional amendment introduced to name his younger brother as Crown Prince as an indication that the Monarch intended to revert to the original constitutional provision according to which his eldest son inherits the Throne.

"The King's words on CNN indicated that he wants to go back to how things were before the Constitution was amended," one former official said.

Most political sources contacted by the Jordan Times agreed that the choice of HRH Prince Abdullah as heir to the throne would represent the smoothest and most natural course, since it would not require constitutional amendments.

Officials noted that the current text of Article 28 of the Constitution — governing the succession to the Throne — would also enable Prince Abdullah in the future to appoint his younger brother HRH Prince Hamzeh as Crown Prince.

Nineteen-year-old Prince Hamzeh, currently following his father's footsteps at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst, in the U.K., is the King's eldest son by Her Majesty Queen Noor.

The original 1952 constitutional text, stipulating that the Hashemite crown "shall pass from the holder of the Throne to his eldest son," was amended in 1965 to allow for the appointment of Prince Hassan as Crown Prince.

A line was added then stipulating that the King may select one of his brothers as heir to the Throne.

Prince Abdullah was heir to the Throne from 1962-1965.

Sources said the fact that Prince Abdullah was delegated on Wednesday to welcome the visiting crown princes of Bahrain and Dubai was a further indication of the King's choice.

Some analysts said King Hussein has been sending clear signals in recent months indicating his intention to change the succession line.

"It was a predictable development," said one source.

"There have been many and clear signals in the past months, and in the past 10 days it became evident," he added.

Speculation was first triggered by the King's letter to Prince Hamzeh last year on the occasion of his 18th birthday according to the Muslim calendar, the source noted.

More recently, politicians said, speculation was fomented by the wording of a Royal Court denial of a report that appeared in an international Arabic magazine. The report, published on Jan. 8 in Al Watan Al Arabi, claimed that King Hussein had discussed the succession to the throne in meetings in the U.S. with American officials.

The Royal Court's strong denial, issued on Jan.17, stated: "No one has the right to speculate on what goes on in the King's mind regarding decisions that he considers from time to time a necessity aiming to correct the path and to achieve more stability and security for all Jordanians."

"The statement denied the [alleged] meetings, but almost confirmed changes to the succession line," one former minister told the Jordan Times.

Former and current officials also said they expected a government change soon.

"The King indicated that changes will affect both the Royal family and the government," one former minister said.