This week, the engagement of Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Rajwa Al Saif was announced, with a series of celebratory photos released to mark the news.
Not only is Al Saif marrying into the Jordanian royal family, but she is inheriting a notably chic mother-in-law in Queen Rania, a royal who is frequently featured on best-dressed lists and lauded for her sense of style.
In her engagement portraits, Al Saif, who currently works at architectural firm Designlab Experience, was every part the polished princess-to-be.
In the first set of photos shared by the Jordanian royal family, Al Saif wore a cream abaya with gold embellishment by Lebanese brand Orient 499 over an olive green dress with a gold belt and a mustard headscarf. The designers behind these pieces have not been confirmed. Queen Rania wore a black dress with silver metallic detail by Singaporean designer Andrew Gn.
In a photo shared by Prince Hussein, Al Saif wore a blue pleated dress by Greek brand Costarellos, with a pearl necklace. It seems Al Saif is destined to have a similarly positive effect on fashion houses as Queen Rania and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Hours after the photo of Al Saif wearing a Costarellos dress was posted, the brand was inundated with orders. A message on the label's website now reads: "Due to an extremely high volume of orders, all in-stock items will be shipped the week of August 22nd."
Al Saif paid subtle tribute to her future mother-in-law through her fashion choices. In a photo shared by the Jordanian Royal Court, she is wearing a white high-collared midi dress with an embellished belt by Andrew Gn, who dressed Queen Rania in the images accompanying engagement announcement.
In the final set of images, the most informal of the collection, the couple are seen walking through a tree-lined path.
Prince Hussein is wearing a blue shirt, while Al Saif is wearing a multicoloured skirt and white shirt by Italian designer Sara Roka, with a gathered lilac belt and light blue Valentino pumps.
Her Harry Winston engagement ring is on full display in the images, as are a pair of Stephen Webster white gold and yellow diamond earrings, which have been worn by Queen Rania on several occasions.
Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif's engagement
The engagement took place at the home of Al Saif's father in Riyadh. It was announced on Twitter with four photos showing the couple, with Crown Prince Hussein's parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, pictured alongside members of Al Saif's family.
Queen Rania also took to Twitter to share her happiness.
“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,” Queen Rania wrote.
Prince Hussein's engagement only comes a few weeks after his sister, Princess Iman, announced her engagement to Jameel Alexander Thermiotis.
Princess Iman is the first daughter and the second child of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.
Who is Rajwa Al Saif?
Al Saif was born in Riyadh on April 28, 1994, according to Roya News in Jordan.
She is the youngest of four siblings — alongside Faisal, Nayef and Dana — born to businessman Khalid Al Saif and his wife Azza Al Sudairi.
Her secondary education took place in Saudi Arabia, before she moved to New York to complete her higher education at the College of Architecture at Syracuse University.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.