--- title: "A junior enlisted Marine once eloped with Bahrain’s Princess" description: "In the 2000s, Lance Cpl. Jason Johnson faced a court-martial after eloping with his girlfriend, Princess Meriam bint Abdullah al-Khalifa." date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2025-12-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-culture/marine-eloped-with-bahraini-princess/" categories: - "History" - "Marine Corps" tags: - "Marine Corps" --- # A junior enlisted Marine once eloped with Bahrain’s Princess ![marine and princess pose]() *Bahraini princess, Meriam Al-Khalifa and U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jason Johnson, the two young lovers portrayed in the NBC two-hour original movie "The Princess and the Marine" based on a true love story. (NBC)* Junior enlisted Marines have a reputation for doing some pretty insane, off-the-wall, or altogether unexpected things (even among other junior enlisted service members). It's just what they've always done. In 1999, it happened again. On a grand scale. One of the Marines stationed in Bahrain, Lance Cpl. Jason Johnson, faced a court-martial and legal battle to wed his beloved girlfriend, a Bahraini local named Meriam. The [Marine]() met Meriam at a local mall and, despite her family's objections, the two continued their love affair. **Related: [A US Marine went to Somalia and became a warlord]()** The biggest problem is that Meriam's full name is Meriam bint Abdullah al-Khalifa, and she was a member of the royal family's house of Khalifa. So, when Lance Cpl. Johnson smuggled her out of Bahrain and into the United States, it was kind of a big deal. ![Meriam Al Khalifa a member of the royal family of Bahrain, arrives for an immigration hearing 17 July, 2000, with her husband Jason Johnson.]() *And also an international incident no one saw coming. (Tom Kurtz/AFP via Getty Images)* It wasn't just that she was a member of the royal family; her family's Islamic faith was incompatible with Johnson's Mormon beliefs. She was forbidden to marry a non-Muslim by both her religion and her family. There was also a slight age difference: Johnson was 23, while Meriam al-Khalifa was just 19. There were many reasons they shouldn't have dated, let alone gotten married, but with a friend's help, they still managed to exchange letters. Their affection for one another only grew. Until it was time for Johnson to return to the United States. Undeterred by things like "passports" and "legal documents," he snuck the girl into the United States with forged documents and a New York Yankees baseball hat. By the time they landed in Chicago, U.S. immigration officials were waiting for Meriam, and took her into custody. Customs and immigration officials held her for three days. Eventually, she was granted asylum as she worried about the possibility of honor-related violence if she returned to her family. "She does not believe that she can go back and be safe at this time," her lawyer, Jan Bejar, said at an official hearing. "All the woman did is try to leave a country that does not allow her to live with the person she wants to live with." ![eloped couple]() *The couple also made the talk show circuit. (The Oprah Winfrey Show)* The two were married just a few weeks after arriving in the United States. Weeks later, her family sent a letter, forgiving her for eloping, but not mentioning her new husband. For a while, the two lived in base housing on Camp Pendleton, but when the Marines found out what had happened, they were understandably upset with Johnson. He was court-martialed, demoted, and eventually left the Corps. We assume his buddies thought he was a legend. The two settled down to live their lives together in the Las Vegas area, where Johnson got a job as a valet, parking cars for wealthy nightclub patrons—patrons like Meriam's family. But the al-Khalifa family hadn't forgotten about Meriam or Johnson. [The FBI alleged]() that the family paid an assassin half a million dollars to find Meriam and kill her. But their married life wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. Johnson told the Associated Press that al-Khalifa was more interested in partying in Las Vegas than she was in enjoying life with her husband, spending the money they made from selling their story to a made-for-TV movie called "The Princess and the Marine." By 2003, the whirlwind romance came to a dead stop, buried in the Las Vegas desert. ![Promotional movie poster for the Princess and the Marine.]() *We're shocked the literal princess acted like she was a wealthy princess.* Johnson filed for divorce in 2004, saying, "It was what she wanted." "Deep down inside, she knows that I loved her more than anything in the world," Johnson told the AP. "I can say I enjoyed every minute I spent with her." ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### • [A Marine Corps general led a fictional Iran against the US military—and won]() ##### • [This might be the most important moment in Marine Corps aviation]() ##### • [Rob Riggle’s new motivational memoir hits harder than you’d expect]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()