A 29-year-old Saudi woman has just entered the royal family of Jordan. By marrying this Thursday, June 1, Crown Prince Hussein, eldest son of Queen Rania and King Abdullah II, Rajwa al-Saif becomes one of the strong figures of the Hashemite kingdom.
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Born on April 28, 1994 in Riyadh, Rajwa al-Saif (her first name means "hope" in Arabic) belongs to one of the richest families in Saudi Arabia. One of four siblings, she is the youngest child of Khaled ben Musaed ben Saif ben Abdulaziz El-Saif and Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmed al-Sudairi. According to Hola magazine, the young woman's father, a civil engineer trained at the American University of Beirut, is a powerful businessman and the owner of the El Seif Group business conglomerate. As for his mother, Azza al-Sudairi, she is the cousin of the mother of the current King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, says Point of View.
In video, the arrival of the crowned heads of Europe at the wedding of the Crown Prince of Jordan
An international life
After attending high school in Saudi Arabia, Rajwa al-Saif flew to New York. There, she joined Syracuse University to study architecture. Her training led her to spend several months in Dubai, a stay she described as "memorable". Graduated in 2017, the polyglot (she speaks Arabic, English and French) moved to Los Angeles to join the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Some time later, she landed her first job, as a designer for the Patterns studio. Before leaving for Riyadh, his hometown, to offer his expertise to Designlab Experience.
Rajwa al-Saif. (Amman, April 28, 2023.) Abaca
More than 600 kilometers away, Prince Hussein is also studying international history at the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington. It was thanks to a friend he met during his American classes that he met his girlfriend. "I met my fiancée, Rajwa, through one of my classmates," he told Point de vue in May. In the same interview, the crown prince considers himself "lucky" because "it's not every day that you meet someone like Rajwa". After losing sight of each other for some time, the duo reconnected. "Fate did the rest," adds the future king.
Everything seems to have gone very quickly between the two young people. On August 17, 2022, it was learned that the eldest son of the King and Queen of Jordan had become engaged. Making the news official, the main interested party then wrote on his Instagram account: "Praise be to God. We pray that God will bless us. I am grateful to my dear Jordanian family for their sincere support and best wishes." In one of the first official portraits of the future ruler, Rajwa al-Saif wore a pleated blue dress by Greek designer Christos Costarellos. A stylistic choice that was very reminiscent of the blue dress signed Issa worn by Kate Middleton on the day of the announcement of her engagement to Prince William, November 16, 2010.
Rajwa al-Saif and Prince Hussein of Jordan pose together for their engagement. Abaca
Rider and future queen
In terms of interests, the Saudi woman - an artist at heart - likes to paint and indulge in manual activities. As is often the case in royal families, she is a great horse riding enthusiast. Witness this photo posted on Instagram by Prince Hussein, on April 28, to celebrate the 29th birthday of his then fiancée.
Officially became a princess by marrying Prince Hussein, Rajwa al-Saif now seems to be following in the footsteps of her mother-in-law, Queen Rania, who moved her to tears on May 22 during the traditional henna ceremony given in her honor before her wedding.
Queen Rania of Jordan delivers a speech in honor of her daughter-in-law Rajwa al-Saif. (Amman, May 22, 2023.) Abaca