Jordan's crown prince weds scion of Saudi family in ceremony packed with stars, symbolism
Jordan's crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family on Thursday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region's newest power couple.
What You Need To Know
- Jordan's crown prince has married the scion of a prominent Saudi family in a palace celebration attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world
- Massive crowds gathered in a mood of excitement across the kingdom, as the young Hashemite royal was presented to a global audience
- The marriage of Crown Prince Hussein, 28, and Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, 29, has drawn a star-studded list headlined by Britain's Prince William and his, wife, Kate, but it also holds deep significance for the region
- It emphasizes continuity in an Arab state prized for its longstanding stability and refreshes the monarchy's image after a bitter palace feud
The marriage of Crown Prince Hussein, 28, and Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, 29, drew a star-studded guest list including Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, as well as U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.
- The celebrations hold deep significance for the region, emphasizing continuity in an Arab state prized for its longstanding stability and refreshing the monarchy's image after a palace feud. It even could help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic bond with its oil-rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia.
The bride, wearing an elegant white dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, arrived at Zahran Palace in a 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom V custom-made for the crown prince's late great grandmother. The crown prince arrived earlier in full ceremonial military uniform with a gold-hilted saber.
The families and their guests gathered in an open-air gazebo decked with flowers and surrounded by landscaped gardens for a traditional Muslim wedding ceremony known as "katb al-ketab." The crowd erupted in applause after the signing of the marriage contract. Alseif will henceforth be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, according to a royal decree...
- Jordan's 11 million residents have watched the young crown prince rise in prominence in recent years, as he increasingly joined his father, Abdullah, in public appearances. Hussein has graduated from Georgetown University, joined the military and gained some global recognition speaking at the U.N. General Assembly. His wedding, experts say, marks his next crucial rite of passage.
- "It's not just a marriage, it's the presentation of the future king of Jordan," said political analyst Amer Sabaileh. "The issue of the crown prince has been closed."
The wedding may create a brief feel-good moment for Jordanians during tough economic times, including persistent youth unemployment and an ailing economy.
Palace officials have turned the event — a week after Jordan's 77th birthday — into something of a PR campaign. Combining tradition and modernity, the royal family introduced a wedding hashtag (#Celebrating Al Hussein) and omnipresent logo that fuses the couple's initials into the Arabic words "We rejoice."
- Zahran Palace in Amman, where the marriage ceremony was held, hasn't seen such pomp and circumstance since 1993, when, on a similarly sunny June day, Abdullah married Rania, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. Decades earlier, Abdullah's father, the late King Hussein, sealed his vows in the same garden with his second wife, the British citizen Antoinette Gardiner.
- In addition to the Prince and Princess of Wales, the guest list includes an array of foreign aristocrats and dignitaries, including senior royals from Europe and Asia, as well as U.S. climate envoy John Kerry. Other likely attendees include Saudi aristocrats, as Rajwa's mother comes from the same influential family as the late mother of King Salman.
- Her billionaire father owns a major construction firm in the kingdom.
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