This is how pomp and circumstance are done regarding a royal wedding. Crown Prince Hussein married Rajwa Al Saif on June 1st, and there were plenty of surprises for royal watchers. Let’s go over what we’ve seen floating around the internet.
The Surprise Arrival Of Princess Beatrice And Edo
One of the biggest surprises was the arrival of Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo. We did not know either of them was close to the Jordanian royals. While the Brits and Jordanians have close ties, which we’ll explore later, the Mapelli Mozzi couple were the last people we expected to appear. We saw someone mention on Twitter that Beatrice was good friends with Hussein. Not sure how true that is.
Prince Hashem Walks Rajwa Down The Aisle
Since the engagement was announced mid-last year, it was questioned who would walk Rajwa down the aisle. At Princess Iman’s wedding earlier in the year, we learned that Hussein walked his sister down the aisle instead of their father, King Abdullah.
It was also unknown by the public whether Rajwa had brothers. It has since emerged that she is the youngest of four, with two older brothers and an older sister. They were all present at the wedding with their parents, but their father was a guardian alongside the King. Why either of her brothers didn’t walk her is unclear, but we did get a huge surprise a couple of days ago when it was announced that Prince Hashem, Hussein’s younger brother, would escort the bride.
There Is No Such Thing As Crown Princess In Jordan
Now, this one is a new one for us. The Jordanian Royal Family does not appear to use the title of Crown Princess. Instead, only men can inherit the throne, so their wives are named Princesses upon marriage if they [the heirs] are not yet King.
Upon taking the crown, the men can name their spouse as Queen. However, not all consorts are given the title of Queen. One example is Princess Muna, the mother of the current King of Jordan. She was given the title of Princess Consort rather than Queen, while the late King Hussein’s other wives were all Queen Consorts.
Whether her then-husband gave Muna (Toni) this title or whether she wanted this title rather than Queen is unknown.
The Tiaras!
Tiara events are rare in the UK, so it’s nice that the British royals can attend a foreign event where they can wear tiaras. The other European families are well-known for their tiara events. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, looked amazing as always in the Cambridge Lovers Knot, but the biggest surprise was Princess Beatrice. She got to wear the York tiara that hadn’t been seen since the 90s and since her parents divorced.
Prince William And Crown Prince Hussein’s Bro Hug!
One of the most significant parts of the event was seeing Prince William and Crown Prince Hussein being unafraid to hug in public. Both have had numerous interactions over the years and are pretty friendly. King Abdullah has a good relationship with King Charles, while Queen Rania is involved with Earthshot.
We’ve seen the footage but cannot find a photo of it.
Catherine’s Longtime Connection To Jordan
We wanted to touch on Catherine’s connection to Jordan briefly. The Princess of Wales as a child, lived in Amman, Jordan, for just over two years due to her father, Michael’s job at the time. She even went to school in the country.
This was revealed five years ago in Vogue Arabia while William was in Jordan, where he caught up with Hussein.
The Waleses went to Jordan on holiday a couple of years ago.
The Middletons Were At The Royal Wedding
Finally, we had to mention that Catherine’s mother, Carole, sister Pippa and James Matthews, Pippa’s husband were all in attendance. However, Michael, James and Ailzee Middleton, Catherine’s dad, brother and sister-in-law, were absent.
