Jordan celebrates wedding of crown prince and Saudi architect with great pomp

The event brought together most of the royal families from around the world. Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Saudi architect Rajwa al-Saif got married on Thursday in the presence of guests from around the world. Hussein bin Abdallah is the heir to the throne, appointed by his father King Abdullah II when he was 15 years old. The bride was born and raised in a wealthy and influential family in Saudi Arabia, close to the Saudi royal family, before studying in the US for her husband.

The newlyweds recited their vows at Zahran Palace in the Jordanian capital Amman in front of their families and 140 other guests, including US First Lady Jill Biden, British princely couple William and Kate, King of the Netherlands. , Willem-Alexander or even King Philip of Belgium. Also in attendance was Princess Beatrice, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and eldest daughter of Prince Andrew.

“Hussein is your son”

Such celebrations are rare in the Arab world, where conservative monarchs rarely share details of their personal lives. In a solemn atmosphere, thousands of Jordanians celebrated the wedding of spouses on the streets of the capital, where their portraits were exhibited. The people of Jordan have also witnessed fireworks, air shows and concerts over the past few days. “Hussein is your son, you are his family and this is your wedding,” the groom’s mother, Queen Rania, told Jordanians on May 23 in a YouTube video.

Jordan has a long border with Saudi Arabia. The two monarchies, close partners, play an important role in Islam: thus, the Saudi kingdom hosts an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and Jordan is the guardian of Muslim shrines in Jerusalem. Jordan, which enjoys relative political stability compared to some neighboring countries such as Israel, Lebanon or even Syria, is heavily indebted with a high unemployment rate (23%), according to the World Bank. The country is heavily dependent on international aid, especially from wealthy Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, which is an economic and diplomatic heavyweight in the region.

For the Hashemite monarchy, weddings are also an opportunity to restore their image after a deep crisis in April 2021. Hamza, half-brother of King Abdullah II, was then accused of wanting to destabilize the kingdom, an unprecedented crisis that rocked the Hashemite monarchy. The Jordanian authorities blamed a “foreign” hand for the crisis, which turned all eyes on Riyadh. Shortly thereafter, an adviser close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was arrested in Amman. The crisis in Jordan echoed the power play and purges in the Saudi royal family, where King Salman fired the reigning crown prince in 2017 in favor of his young son MBS.