Queen Rania, centre, pictured with Rajwa Al Saif and Crown Prince Hussein ahead of their wedding. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
Queen Rania, centre, pictured with Rajwa Al Saif and Crown Prince Hussein ahead of their wedding. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
Queen Rania, centre, pictured with Rajwa Al Saif and Crown Prince Hussein ahead of their wedding. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
Queen Rania, centre, pictured with Rajwa Al Saif and Crown Prince Hussein ahead of their wedding. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court

Queen Rania offers behind-the-scenes glimpse of preparations for Jordan's royal wedding


Sophie Prideaux
  • English
  • Arabic

With just 10 days to go until the wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein, his mother Queen Rania has shared a look at some of the final preparations.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Queen Rania posted a video of local artisans as they prepared decorations, fabrics and handicrafts ahead of the big day.

“Thank you all for going the extra mile to make our celebrations extra special. God bless you and the happy couple,” she said in the caption.

Several of the artisans involved commented below the post, sharing their joy at being involved with the wedding.

“I am proud that I was part of this achievement, and our hands worked to decorate this joy,” the account Macrame by Saja, which makes decorative crochet wall hangings, wrote.

Henna designer Zaina al Sharaf wrote: “Thank you for sharing your joy with us and supporting a lot of Jordanian projects, young men and women who are entrepreneurs and creative.”

Prince Hussein will marry his fiancee Rajwa Al Saif on June 1, with the ceremony set to take place at Zahran Palace before the wedding procession moves to Al Husseiniya Palace.

In tying the knot at Zahran Palace, the couple will be following in the footsteps of many members of the Jordanian royal family, including King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.

Last week, the official logo for the royal wedding was revealed, with the words “we rejoice” written in Arabic calligraphy. A bilingual version of the logo has the Arabic calligraphy along with the words “Jordan's Royal Wedding” and the date, “1-6-23".

Rajwa Al Saif, 29, is the daughter of Saudi businessman Khalid Al Saif. She was educated in Saudi Arabia before moving to the US for higher education, where she studied architecture at Syracuse University.

The couple announced their engagement in August, when their families gathered at the Al Saif family home in Riyadh.

Sharing her congratulations at the time, Queen Rania said: “I didn’t think it was possible to hold so much joy in my heart! Congratulations to my eldest Prince Hussein and his beautiful bride-to-be, Rajwa.”

The nuptials will come shortly before the Crown Prince's parents celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

The couple were married on June 10, 1993, after meeting earlier that year.

The celebrations will round off a bumper year for the family, who in March gathered to celebrate the wedding of Princess Iman to Jameel Thermiotis, held at the family’s palace on the outskirts of Amman.

The princess, 26, was walked down the aisle by Prince Hussein. She wore a custom Dior white gown with a lace neckline and cuffs, accessorised with a trailing veil.

She also wore a diamond tiara reportedly owned by her grandmother, Princess Muna Al Hussein, mother of King Abdullah.

Members of the family shared their joy following the ceremony on social media.

“Iman, I pray this next chapter in your life brings you as much joy, love, and laughter as you have brought us over the years,” Queen Rania wrote. “Congratulations to the bride and groom!”

Crown Prince Hussein proudly shared a photo of him walking his sister down the aisle. “Grateful for all the precious memories we share and overjoyed to see you celebrate your wedding today,” he wrote. “I wish you, dear Iman and Jameel, a lifetime of blessings and happiness together.”

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Updated: May 24, 2023, 12:32 PM`