Love, union of geopolitical interests for the poorest kingdom in the Middle East and the important crowned heads of the world at the luxurious wedding ceremony in Jordan. Hussein, the crown prince of Jordan's Hashemite Royal Court, married in Amman on Thursday following a war of succession, and Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif, a 29-year-old Saudi architect and heiress great, after announcing their engagement in August.
The couple married in an Islamic ceremony, known as Katb Ktab, at the royal palace in Zahran, where they signed the marriage contract. The reception was held at Husseinniya Palace.
Princess Rajwa was dressed by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, wearing low shoes and a spectacular tiara. Queen Rania, his mother-in-law, was dressed in black, with a Christian Dior design with gold.
The couple married in an Islamic ceremony, known as Katb Ktab, at the royal palace in Zahran, where they signed the marriage contract. Photo: EFE
At least 1,700 guests from around the world arrived in Jordan to witness the ceremony. Princes and kings were this wedding, which will last throughout the weekend and has awakened a Royal fever in Jordan.
From King Philip of Spain and his wife, the Queen to Kate and William, princes of Wales and unexpected guests, landed in Amann with King William and Maxima of Holland, plus all the nobility of the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Bitter succession
In Jordan, this royalty did not grow up as heir to the throne. The succession was the product of a bitter battle, which began when King Hussein of Jordan, who was married to the American Queen Noor, who wanted to put his son Hamzah as successor, was dying of lymphatic cancer.
He arranged for the sovereign, who overthrew his own brother, Prince Hassan bin Talal to succeed him. Abdullah, the king's eldest son, agreed to be nominated sovereign by his father.
The couple married in an Islamic ceremony, known as Katb Ktab, at the royal palace in Zahran. Photo: Reuters
But then, already confirmed on his throne, firmer with his initial Arab babbling, Abdullah stripped his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, the former heir apparent, of his title in 2004 and nominated his son, Prince Hussein.
A decision where Queen Rania, Palestinian, daughter of exiles in Kuwait, who came to Amann fleeing the Gulf War and the expulsion of Palestinians, played a fundamental role. She convinced her husband to name Hussein his successor.
Hamzah accused
Palace coup. In April 2001, Prince Hamzah issued a video message from Amman in which he claimed to be under house arrest for denouncing corruption among Jordan's leaders.
The Jordanian royal family arrives at Al Husseiniya Palace. Photo: Reuters
In March 2022, the royal court published a letter purportedly written by Hamzah, seeking forgiveness from his brother. The Royal has rarely been seen in public since. But soon after he renounced his title of prince on Twitter. It is not known whether he is still detained or left the country. He denied that he wants to destabilize the kingdom but denounce the corruption that reigns.
On Thursday, neither he nor Queen Noor, his mother, were among the guests. They detest each other. But the court has prevented the family fiefdom from being reported.
The Saudi Bride
Rajwa, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, is an architect and the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz al-Saif. Photo: Reuters
Who is Rajwa Al Saif? Rajwa, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, is an architect and the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz al-Saif. He has three older brothers: Faisal, Nayef and Dana.
Rajwa has his own royal connections, as his mother is part of the Al Sudairi family, the ruling family of Saudi Arabia. Rajwa is a second cousin of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, of horrendous reputation, following the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His body never appeared.
The last time a Hashemite wedding of this scale took place was in 1997 when Abdullah II, then prince, married Rania Al-Yassin. The ruling couple share three other children: Princess Iman, 26, who married Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, a Venezuelan venture capitalist of Greek descent, in a smaller ceremony in March; Princess Salma, 22; and Prince Hashem, 18.
Queen Rania and King Abdullah greet First Lady Jill Biden. Photo: AFP
The Jordanian royal family, known as the Hashemites, has ruled Jordan since 1921, first as emirs of the Emirate of Transjordan under a British protectorate and then as kings after the country gained independence from Britain in 1946. The Hashemites come from the House of Hashem, which ruled Mecca since the century. King Abdullah II is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
The prince who will be king
As part of last week's festivities, Queen Rania hosted an opulent henna party for her future daughter-in-law and hundreds of women at Madareb Bani Hashem, where she delivered an eloquent welcome speech.
"I will never forget how happy His Majesty and I were when Al Hussein told us he wanted to marry Rajwa," Rania told guests. "She is the perfect answer to all my prayers for him. May they always be the source of happiness and support for each one."
Royal couple. Photo: Reuters
He also said he believes his father-in-law, King Hussein, who was proclaimed king at age 16 in 1952 and reigned until his death in 1999, would be proud of the way he raised his grandson.
Crown Prince Hussein followed the same path as his grandfather, King Hussein and his father. He is a captain in the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army and graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in England, as well as Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
In 2015, Hussein became the youngest person to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss how young people can confront extremism and terrorism. He also addressed the UN General Assembly in 2017 and supported his father on diplomatic visits abroad, including meetings with US President Joe Biden at the White House in May 2022 and again in February.
Rajwa, future queen architect
Rajwa, the bride, studied at Syracuse University in New York and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. He worked at an architectural firm in Los Angeles before returning to Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
Rajwa, the bride, studied at Syracuse University in New York. Photo: Reuters
Rajwa became engaged to Hussein in August at his family's home. But little is known about her. Since then, the future crown princess has taken on a number of royal engagements, including a prominent role at the wedding of Princess Iman, her sister-in-law.
As Rajwa celebrated his henna festival, thousands of young Jordanians attended a concert, a free tribute titled "We Rejoice in Hussein" at Amman's International Stadium. The show featured performances by prominent Arab musicians.
The wedding drew crowds in the country. A spirit of enthusiasm throughout the kingdom, while introducing the young Hashemite royalty as a strategic new player in the world.
Strategic wedding
The celebrations have deep meaning for the region, emphasizing continuity in an Arab state prized for its long stability and refreshing the image of the monarchy, after a palace dispute. It could even help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic link with its oil-rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia.
The wedding could help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic bond with its oil-rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Reuters
Crowds gathered on giant screens set to livestream the wedding across the country, with many attendees waving flags and wearing the white-and-red checkered scarves worn by Jordan's ruling Hashemite family.
At the ancient Roman amphitheater in the center of the capital, Amman, Jordanian singer Hussein Salman cheered up the crowd with ballads congratulating the wedding.
On Thursday morning, wedding guests and Saudi tourists — men in white dishdasha robes and women in brightly colored abayas — filtered through the elegant marble lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman.
The Jordanian capital was decked out with flags and flowers for the grand royal wedding. Photo: EFE
Amman is covered with photos of the couple, who the population reveres and wondered who would dress her for the ceremony.
The race to the throne
Jordan's 11 million citizens have seen the young crown prince gain prominence in recent years, as he increasingly joined his father, Abdullah, in public appearances.
Hussein graduated from Georgetown University, joined the military and gained some global recognition, speaking at the UN General Assembly. Their wedding marks their next crucial rite of passage.
"It's not just a marriage. It is the presentation of the future king of Jordan," said political analyst Amer Sabaileh. "The issue of the crown prince has been closed."
The kingdom declared Thursday a public holiday so crowds of people could gather after the wedding service. Photo: AP
The wedding can create a brief moment of well-being for Jordanians during difficult economic times, including persistent youth unemployment and a crisis economy.
Palace officials have turned the event, a week after Jordan's 77th birthday, into something of a public relations campaign. Combining tradition and modernity, the royal family introduced a wedding hashtag (#CelebratingAl Hussein) and a ubiquitous logo that fuses the couple's initials into the Arabic words "We Rejoice."
The kingdom on Thursday declared a public holiday so crowds of people could gather after the wedding service to greet the couple's caravan of red Land Rover jeeps, a nod to the traditional procession of riders dressed in red coats during the reign of the country's founder, King Abdullah I. Huge screens were set up across the country for crowds to watch the occasion unfold.
Guests
William and Kate greet the bride. Photo: Reuters
Hussein and Rajwa's high-profile nuptials saw several global royals travel to Jordan to witness the historic event.
Guests include the King and Queen of Malaysia; King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain; King and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands; Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
The list goes on with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg; Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway; Hisako, Princess Takamado and their daughter, Princess Tsuguko of Takamado of Japan.
The Jordanian kings greet their counterparts from the lower countries, Willem-Alexander and Maxima. Photo: Reuters
Fresh from her May 6 attendance at King Charles' coronation in London, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Amman on Wednesday before the wedding. Kuwait's Crown Prince Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah also landed in the capital city.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who share a fondness for the nation because she lived there as a child with her parents and took their children there in 2021, also traveled to be part of the celebration.
Paris, correspondent
ap
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