After a palace feud, the wedding ceremony is also an occasion for the royal family to gather the Jordanian people behind the future king. Other monarchs also attended the celebration.
A beaming bridal couple and top-class guests: Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah today married Radschwa Al Saif at a lavish ceremony.
The wedding in the capital Amman included the British heir to the throne Prince William (40) and his wife Princess Kate (41), the Dutch King Willem-Alexander (56) and the American First Lady Jill Biden (71). Radschwa wore a long-sleeved white dress with a long train to the celebration. By decree of the royal court, she was given the title of princess and the name Radschwa al-Hussein.
28-year-old Hussein is the eldest son of King Abdullah II (61) and his wife Rania (52). In 2009, when he was still a teenager, his father appointed him crown prince. Several years earlier, King Abdullah II had stripped his younger half-brother, Prince Hamsa, of the title. The position remained vacant in the meantime.
disputes
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 placed under house arrest.
Prince Hamsa, who initially accused the king of arresting and threatening his critics, finally asked for forgiveness. He initially apologized for Hamsa’s behavior in the hope that it would come to fruition, the king later emphasized in a letter to the public. But he was disappointed.
In the case, the former finance minister and ex-head of the royal court, Bassim Auadallah, and a relative of the royal family were each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Both men are said to have connections to Saudi Arabia. Jordan spoke vaguely of “foreign parties” involved in the plot. Officially, Saudi Arabia’s royal family backed Jordan’s rulers at the time.
Fresh wind
After the palace feud, which shook the court badly, the royal family now wants to set a sign of stability with the marriage and strengthen relations with Riyadh. Hussein’s bride Radschwa comes from Saudi Arabia and is a relative of the royal family of the influential Gulf state. Speculations by the Arab media, including Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, could come to the festival turned out to be wrong.
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.”
Hussein married Radschwa in the Zahran Palace, where his parents had said yes 30 years ago. Before the wedding, Queen Rania was enthusiastic about Radschwa: The 29-year-old was “the most beautiful future bride” and like a daughter for her. Both women are said to look alike. The architect is “the perfect answer” to all her prayers for her son.
New national holiday
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.
The royal family had the day declared a national holiday so that the citizens could take part in the numerous festivals in the country. Many Jordanians celebrated as if someone from their own family were getting married, Jordanian media commented. A number of people gathered in Amman to catch a glimpse of the royal procession to another palace in the city following the wedding ceremony.
It was the second royal wedding in Jordan within a short period of time: Hussein’s younger sister Iman only got married in March.
Jordan is a US ally and is considered largely stable and secure compared to many of its regional neighbors. In 1994, the country also signed a peace treaty with neighboring Israel, with which there have always been diplomatic tensions.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
