Earlier on Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein and Miss Rajwa Al Saif.
The Royal couple was photographed the night before the wedding in a five-star luxury hotel in the country’s capital, meeting the bride and groom before of their ceremony.
The Crown Prince wedded his fiancée, now known as Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, in a lavish ceremony in the grounds of Amman’s Zahran Palace.
The Princess of Wales sat in the fourth row beside Prince William, wearing a blush pink Elie Saab gown, the same designer as the bride.
They were joined at the wedding by Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as well as Jill Biden, the US first lady, and various members of other royal families from across the world, including the Dutch king and queen.
Jordan’s royal family has traditionally had a close relationship with the British royals. King Abdullah II and Queen Rania were among the 2,300 people who attended King Charles III’s Coronation and Queen Elizabeth II’s burial last year.
The Princess of Wales is said to have developed a friendship with Queen Rania, who serves on the council of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.
Meanwhile, the Prince’s connection with the groom deepened when he visited the country for the first time in 2018 as part of an official royal visit to Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The Sandhurst grads watched the World Cup together at Crown Prince Hussein’s house and participated in a variety of joint engagements.
Jordan holds significant memories for the Princess, as her family lived there for three years in the early 1980s, when she was two years old, after her father relocated there for work.
In 2021, the Royal couple chose to take their three children on a private vacation to the ancient city of Petra, subsequently sharing a photograph of the family there for their Christmas card.
In a touching tribute to the British Royal Family, the newlyweds drove away from the ceremony in a 1984 Range Rover that had been particularly customized for Elizabeth II’s visit to Jordan.
The Wales’ presence had been well guarded and was only revealed by Jordanian official media a few hours before the royal event began.
The wedding comes after a tough period for Jordan’s royal family, involving a public rupture between King Abdullah II and his half-brother, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, who was accused in a failed coup attempt two years ago.
In a public statement that was unusual in its candour, Jordan’s ruler stated in May 2022 that he had placed his half-brother under house arrest due to his “erratic behavior and aspirations.”
The action followed a purported coup attempt in 2021, which Jordanian leaders said they thwarted by arresting 19 people, including Prince Hamzah and a number of political friends and officials.
The royal scandal not only shocked Jordan, but also harmed the country’s regional relations, particularly after a former Jordanian deputy prime minister stated that Israel was behind the conspiracy.
It was hoped that Thursday’s wedding, the country’s first significant royal nuptials in years, would provide a happy distraction for Jordanians.
The 11 million residents of the country have witnessed the young crown prince rise to popularity in recent years, as he has increasingly joined his father in public engagements.
At the age of 15, Crown Prince Hussein was formally appointed heir to the throne in 2009. He earned a degree in international history from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, in 2016. He enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst a year later.
He is a captain in the Jordanian military and has received considerable international acclaim for his remarks at the United Nations General Assembly.
Princess Rajwa, a Saudi architect, graduated from Syracuse University in New York and previously lived and worked in Los Angeles.
The couple’s courtship and how they met have not been revealed, but they were officially engaged at an Islamic ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, last August.
Expectations for improved diplomatic relations
Their marriage could also symbolize a broader, deeper cooperation between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as the latter wants greater influence in the area following the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw from Middle Eastern politics.
Her father founded one of Saudi Arabia’s leading engineering enterprises, while her mother is related to King Salman.
Jordan designated Thursday a public holiday in advance of the wedding so that throngs may assemble after the service to wave at the couple’s convoy of red Land Rover jeeps.
The practice pays homage to the historical parade of horse riders dressed in red coats under the reign of the country’s founder, King Abdullah I.
Tens of thousands of well-wishers gathered to see the newlyweds as they made their way to their reception, and giant screens were erected up across the country for audiences to watch the event unfold.
The wedding party then proceeded to Al Husseiniya Palace for a reception, entertainment, and a state dinner following the ceremony. At the celebration, the pair was due to greet about 1,700 guests.
