A member of the ' Alawi dynasty , he acceded to the throne on 23 July , upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco. Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, Mudawana , granting women in Morocco more power. In response, Mohammed enacted several reforms and introduced a new constitution.
These reforms were passed by public referendum on 1 July Mohammed's father was keen on giving him a religious and political education from an early age; at the age of four, he started attending the Quranic school at the Royal Palace. Hassan II, desiring his son to experience competitive pressure, selected 12 classmates recognized for their intellect to accompany Mohammed in his studies. According to a childhood friend, Mohammed harbored fantasies about the world beyond the palace walls and seldom ventured outside.
One of his favorite songs was " Breakfast in America " by the English rock band Supertramp , which celebrates the allure of travel by jumbo jet. Mohammed excelled in languages. Mohammed attained his Baccalaureate in , before gaining a bachelor's degree in law at the Mohammed V University at Agdal in According to a biography by Ferran Sales Aige, Mohammed's father received reports from his spies indicating that the young prince was visiting bars regularly.
This led to a deepening dissatisfaction from the king towards his son. In a moment of despair, Hassan II was rumored to have described his son's behavior as a "chromosome error. According to the New York Times , prior to ascending to the throne, Mohammed "gained a reputation as a playboy during the years he spent waiting in the wings, showing a fondness for fast cars and nightclubs. He actively avoided encounters with Hassan II, even during his visits to Morocco.
Instead, he frequently frequented Amnesia, an illicit club located underground in the capital city. Mohammed ascended the throne on the death of his father on 23 July His reformist rhetoric was opposed by Islamist conservatives, and some of his reforms angered fundamentalists.
