Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah married Saudi architect Rajwa al-Saif today in the presence of dozens of dignitaries and royal families from around the world.

The couple tied the knot at Zahran Palace, Amman. Both are 28 years old.

In addition to their families, US First Lady Jill Biden, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Philip of Belgium and Crown Prince William with his wife, Kate, also attended.

In a festive atmosphere, thousands of Jordanians celebrated the wedding in the streets of the capital, where portraits of the newlyweds had been posted.

In this context, many fireworks shows, air shows and concerts had been organized across the country in recent days.

“Hussein is your son, you are his family and it is your marriage,” Queen Rania told Jordanians in a video posted on YouTube on May 23.

Such celebrations are rare in the Arab world, where conservative monarchies share little information about their private lives with citizens.

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King Abdullah, 61, named his eldest son, Hussein bin Abdullah, as heir to the throne when he was 15, having previously excluded his half-brother, Hamza, from the succession. The latter was accused in April 2021 of trying to destabilize the kingdom, sparking an unprecedented crisis in the Hashemite dynasty. He has remained under house arrest since then and announced in April that he was “renouncing his princely title”.

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Hussain was educated in the West and prepared for his future role by his father, who took him with him on his visits abroad and important meetings. After attending the prestigious Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Britain, he studied history at Georgetown University in Washington.

The crown prince’s wife was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and studied architecture at Syracuse University in New York.

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