Jordan crown prince weds Saudi princess in lavish ceremony
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Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah married Saudi architect Rajwa Al Saif on Thursday in a wedding attended by royals from across the globe.
Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa of Jordan arriving at their first wedding reception 🤍 pic.twitter.com/VswGnXTVJY
— CoutureAndRoyals (@CoutureRoyals) June 1, 2023
The ceremony took place in the mid-century Zahran Palace in the capital Amman -- the scene of other key Hashemite kingdom weddings including that of King Abdullah II to Queen Rania and also that of the monarch's father, the late King Hussein bin Talal.
https://twitter.com/vengeanceandwar/status/1664353847819620352
The king's eldest son and Al Saif, both aged 28, tied the knot at a ceremony attended by their families and 140 guests, including US First Lady Jill Biden and Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales, who made a surprise appearance.
https://twitter.com/Freedom16356531/status/1664333032164040716
King Abdullah II, aged 61 and on the throne since 1999, has long groomed his eldest son to succeed him, bringing him on important visits and to meetings, former information minister Samih Maaytah previously told AFP.
This is so special!! Princess Rajwa of Jordan had her wedding crown engraved with a quote by Queen Rania, “ رجوة من الله " (A wish from God) or (a gift) as there is no direct translation in English for this word. Queen Rania expressed that Rajwa was a gift from God to her son ♡ pic.twitter.com/I0kO4u4qXE
— ➳❥ (@VintageVault8) June 1, 2023
Prince Hussein became heir to the throne in 2009 after his father removed the title from his half-brother Hamzah in 2004.
Queen #Rania of Jordan is heartly welcoming to our Prince Foreign Minister Pakistan @BBhuttoZardari to the royal palace. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has arrived in Jordan at the royal invitation of Prince Abdullah II of the Quraish family.@SaeedGhani1 pic.twitter.com/dWUkpneNKC
— Aijaz Burfat (@JiyalaKing1) June 2, 2023
Hamzah would later be placed under house arrest after being accused of attempting to stage a royal coup in 2021 that sent shock waves through the royal establishment.
Princess Kate made an absolutely stunning entrance at the royal wedding banquet of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif in a glittering pink sequin column gown by Jenny Packham paired with the Lover’s Knot Tiara 👑 💗 💗 💗 #KateMiddleton #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/LGorMOct5q
— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) June 1, 2023
That year Bassem Awadallah, an adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was convicted of conspiring to topple King Abdullah II.
In April 2022, Hamzah renounced his royal title, saying that his own values no longer aligned with those of "our institutions".
Watch: Jordan's newlyweds Crown Prince Al Hussein and Princess Rajwa are welcomed to their wedding reception by a traditional Jordanian zaffa. #RoyalWedding #CelebratingAlHussein https://t.co/dZg5RIfjXI pic.twitter.com/fmewLKG0Ay
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 1, 2023
The newly titled Princess Rajwa was born in Riyadh. She descends from the Al Sudayri family of Najd in what became modern day Saudi Arabia, known to be closely linked to the Saudi royal family.
- Wedding motorcade -
Other notable guests on Thursday included the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, as well as Belgium's King Philippe and Crown Princess Elisabeth and Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
Prince William and Princess Catherine are in Jordan for a royal wedding.
— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) June 1, 2023
They were greeted by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. Their eldest son Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II married Rajwa Alseif. #royalfamily #jordan #princewilliam #kate pic.twitter.com/p7Byu9eini
The highly anticipated nuptials were met by celebrations across Jordan, with thousands gathering to witness the procession in Amman in streets decorated for the occasion with pictures of the couple and banners.
A royal red motorcade, reserved for special occasions, crossed the capital from Zahran Palace in the centre to Husseiniya Palace in the west.
https://twitter.com/Freedom16356531/status/1664336209429012495
"We are certainly very happy with the crown prince's wedding. This is the joy of all of Jordan," said Sawsan Rifaia, 26, clad in a white shirt with a picture of the newly-weds and a red Jordanian keffiyeh wrapped over her white headscarf.
Jordan enjoys relative stability compared to its Middle East neighbours, but has seen protests in recent years as it struggles with economic woes.
https://twitter.com/circassianxexes/status/1664366103152193540
The World Bank says Jordan is heavily in debt and faces around 23 percent unemployment.
The country relies extensively on foreign aid.
✨prince and the princess#الزفاف_الملكي #رجوة_آل_سيف #Queen #d_re #Jordan #RoyalWedding #RoyalWeddingJordan #نفرح_بالامير_حسين #نفرح_للحسين #ولي_العهد #السعودية #الأردن pic.twitter.com/0XJJYJ6GPt
— (A) bin Khalifa (@binKhalifa0) June 1, 2023
The Jordanian king has wide-ranging political powers in a nation of 11 million people, a parliamentary monarchy, and he is also supreme leader of the armed forces.
#RoyalWedding Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark 🇩🇰 arrive at Zahran Palace for the Royal Wedding of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan and Rajwa Al Saif and are welcomed by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania in #AmmanJordan on 1 June 2023. pic.twitter.com/5KpW7PDSr6
— joydreamslink (@joydreamslink) June 1, 2023
Hussein followed in his father's footsteps by attending Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and then studied history at Washington's Georgetown University.
Watch: Britain's Prince William and Princess Kate arrive for the wedding reception of Jordan's Crown Prince Al Hussain and Princess Rajwa. #RoyalWedding #CelebratingAlHussein https://t.co/dZg5RIfjXI pic.twitter.com/hLrVlEdbyh
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 1, 2023
His bride was born and raised in conservative Saudi Arabia but is also Western-educated, having studied architecture at Syracuse University in New York.
First Lady Jill Biden and her daughter arrive at Zahran Palace for the royal wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein. pic.twitter.com/juSdVQ6waY
— Reda (@redamor_) June 1, 2023