Noble
Jordan in wedding fever: Crown Prince Hussein is getting married
Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II announced his engagement to Radschwa Al Saif in August. photo
© Nasser Nasser/AP
The First Lady of the USA, royals from all over the world: the guest list for the wedding of the Jordanian heir to the throne is top-class. With the event, the royal family also wants to demonstrate consistency.
Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II wants to marry his fiancée Radschwa Al Saif this Thursday. High-ranking politicians, royals from the royal houses of Europe and the American First Lady Jill Biden are also expected to attend the glamorous wedding in the capital Amman. The royal family declared the day a national holiday so that everyone in the country can take part in the numerous celebrations of the wedding ceremony. According to the Jordanian Ministry of Culture, the official ceremony, which lasts about an hour and a half, begins at 4 p.m. (CEST).
The couple announced their engagement in August last year. 28-year-old Hussein is the eldest son of King Abdullah II (61) and his wife Rania (52). In 2009, his father made him Crown Prince after King Abdullah II had stripped his younger half-brother, Prince Hamsa, of the title several years earlier. The position remained vacant in the meantime.
According to their own statements, two years ago the royal family thwarted a conspiracy against Abdullah II, who had been in office since 1999, which is said to have originated from the former heir to the throne, Prince Hamsa. The 43-year-old was then placed under house arrest. After the feud, which shook the court badly, the royal family now wants to send a sign of stability by marrying the crown prince.
Fiancé is relative of the Saudi royal family
The 28-year-old Hussein, who is a captain in the Jordanian army, recently announced that he met his fiancée thanks to an old school friend. “I consider myself lucky because you don’t meet someone like Radschwa every day.” The 29-year-old architect comes from Saudi Arabia and is a relative of the royal family there. According to Arab media reports, the crown prince and de facto ruler of the influential Gulf state, Mohammed bin Salman, will also be present at the wedding.
Hussein marries Radschwa in the Zahran Palace, where his parents said yes 30 years ago.
The crown prince, who is popular in Jordan and studied history in the USA, has been making more public appearances in recent years and accompanies his father to official appointments, for example. Jordan is a US ally and is considered relatively stable and secure compared to many of its neighbors in the region.
British tabloid media speculated that the British heir to the throne, Prince William (40) and his wife, Princess Kate (41), could also be seen at the celebration. Relations with the Jordanian royal family are considered to be close. King Abdullah and Queen Rania also attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III. (74) to London. The palace could not immediately be reached for comment.