The former crown prince of Jordan has pledged allegiance to King Abdullah, two days after he said he was placed under house arrest and accused of trying to destabilise the country.

Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, 41, issued a statement hours after mediation, saying he was committed to the constitution.

Officials said the king had asked his uncle, Prince Hassan, to help resolve the unprecedented tensions.

The prince denies the allegations of conspiracy.

In a signed letter quoted by the palace on Monday, Prince Hamzah said: "I place myself in the hands of his majesty the king... I will remain committed to the constitution of the dear Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan."

The prince has not spoken publicly since sending videos to the BBC at the weekend.

Malik Dahlan, a professional mediator and a friend of the family, issued a separate statement, saying the mediation had been "successful" and that he expected a resolution "shortly", according to the Associated Press news agency.

Prince Hamzah was first in line to succeed his half-brother, King Abdullah, as Jordan's head of state until 2004, when he was removed as crown prince. King Abdullah designated his son as heir instead.

The public rift between Prince Hamzah and King Abdullah is unprecedented. Tensions within the royal household, however, have reportedly been present for some time.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor general in the capital, Amman, banned the publication of any information - on media or social media - about tensions between King Abdullah and Prince Hamzah.

"In order to keep the security services' investigation into Prince Hamzah and the others secret, [it is decided] to ban the publication of anything related to this inquiry at this stage," prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat said in a statement shown on television.

On Saturday, Prince Hamzah released two videos to the BBC in which he claimed he had been placed under house arrest. He said a senior official had told him he was not allowed to go out or communicate with people because of criticisms of the government or king voiced at meetings where he had been present.

The apparent arrest is thought to have followed a visit by the prince to tribal leaders, where he is said to have garnered some support.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said the prince had been liaising with foreign parties about destabilising the country and had been monitored for some time.

He accused the prince of seeking to mobilise "clan leaders against the government". Mr Safadi said officials had tried to discourage the prince rather than take legal action, but Prince Hamzah had "dealt with this request negatively".

He added that at least 16 people, including a former adviser to King Abdullah and another member of the royal family, had been arrested over the plot. But no members of the armed forces were said to be among those detained.

Also on Sunday, Jordan's opposition released a recording in which a defiant Prince Hamzah said he would not obey orders from the authorities. (BBC)

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