Queen Rania of Jordan has shared a stunning behind the scenes video celebrating her ‘beautiful’ future daughter-in-law, Rajwa Al Saif, as the festivities ramp up ahead of her royal wedding to Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan on 1 June.
Rajwa Al Saif is celebrating her birthday, weeks after announcing she is expecting her first baby with Crown Prince Hussein, son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, later this summer. Here, Tatler opens their wedding album in honour of the occasion
The elegant queen, 52, was joined by her daughters, mother, mother-in-law, and other members of the extended Jordanian royal family as she toasted Rajwa at the traditional henna party at the Madareb Bani Hashem on Monday night, ahead of the royal wedding next week. ‘Some highlights from Rajwa’s Henna last night,’ she wrote, sharing the slickly-produced video.
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It came after Queen Rania shared a selection of beautiful photographs from the pre-wedding festivities. ‘No celebration would be complete without our Jordanian family. Celebrating our beautiful Rajwa,’ Queen Rania wrote, alongside a beautiful slideshow of photographs. One shows the queen and bride-to-be walking hand-in-hand through the party – a testament to their close relationship. Another shows Rajwa wiping away a tear as Queen Rania delivers a moving speech.
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For the event, Rajwa wore an intricate white and gold creation by HONAYDA, from her home country of Saudi Arabia. ‘For Miss Rajwa, a two-piece Najdi dress known as the Sahabi Thoub, was designed for the occasion, bridging the past and present infusing the bride’s heritage in a fully handcrafted veil and dress flourishing through 3D ornaments with a mix of silk, metallic threads and traditional reed strings featuring the iconic palm of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,’ the designer explained on Instagram. ‘Seven stars are exclusively featured in the veil, symbolizing the 7-pointed Jordanian star. The veil pays homage to the couple’s eternal love story, in a famous verse of Tunisian poet Abu al-Qasim al Shabi translating the beauty of life at one’s sight.’
Typically refined, Queen Rania of Jordan opted for a soft blue bespoke gown by Saiid Kobeisy, paired with breathtaking diamond earrings.
Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, heir to the Jordanian throne, will wed his glamorous architect fiancée on 1 June – just days before the 30th wedding anniversary of his parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, on 10 June. It comes just months after his sister Princess Iman of Jordan tied the knot in elegant fashion at one of the family's opulent royal residences. Yet, as Crown Prince Hussein is heir to the throne, his nuptials are expected to be even more lavish.
Queen Rania of Jordan shared a touching home video montage documenting Hussein’s close relationship with his father, King Abdullah II. ‘An unbreakable father-son bond… I cherish it,’ she wrote in the caption. It was followed by a second video showing some of the behind-the-scenes preparations being done ahead of the wedding. ‘Thank you all for going the extra mile to make our celebrations extra special. God bless you and the happy couple! #CelebratingAlHussein,’ Queen Rania added, using the wedding hashtag. As is custom, the wedding will take the form of a number of events across several days, meaning royal wedding fans have plenty to look forward to.
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To start, members of foreign royal houses will be represented. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (who recently attended the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla) will be joined by her husband Prince Daniel of Sweden; Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will represent Queen Margrethe II; Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will stand in place of his parents; Princess Takamado of Japan will represent her late husband’s distant cousin the emperor. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will be accompanied by their daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia.
Queen Azizah of Malaysia, another guest at the royal nuptials, has offered the first insight into what the dress code will be, reportedly saying it will be ‘more like black tie, long dress but no tiaras’, according to The Royal Watcher. There is still the possibility, however, that the bride will wear a tiara. For her royal wedding to her Venezuelan venture capitalist beau, Princess Iman of Jordan wore a white Dior gown, lace veil and twinkling Chaumet tiara.
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Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa became engaged in August last year in the bride-to-be’s home of Saudi Arabia. The couple have become increasingly high profile in the months since. Rajwa has made appearances with the Jordanian royal family and Queen Rania shared a sweet Instagram photo celebrating Rajwa’s birthday – a show of support for her future daughter-in-law.
Most notably, Hussein, 28, and Rajwa looked utterly smitten as they sat in the front row of Princess Iman and Jameel Alexander Thermiótis’ wedding – perhaps half-thinking about what their own ceremony will be like. Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Iman, 26, are the two eldest of King Abdullah and Queen Rania’s four children. The pair have a younger brother, Prince Hashem, 18, and younger sister, Princess Salma, 22. Princess Salma graduated from USC alongside Sasha Obama earlier this month.
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Ahead of the upcoming wedding, the social media savvy Jordanian royal family shared the official logo to mark the occasion. ‘As the date of the wedding of HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein and Miss Rajwa Khalid Alseif nears, we are pleased to share the official logo to mark the occasion, which is Arabic for “we rejoice,”’ courtiers tweeted Sunday. There is also a hashtag #CelebratingAlHussein.
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News of the engagement was also shared on social media, with The Royal Hashemite Court sharing a photo of the couple with the caption: ‘From the engagement of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II to Ms Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif in Riyadh today, in the presence of their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah.’
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The prince’s mother was quick to share her joy on Instagram, writing: ‘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 announcement was particularly special as it came just weeks after the betrothal of Princess Iman.
In the lead up to the princess’s royal wedding, Queen Rania shared several slickly-produced videos to mark the nuptials. Among them was a behind-the-scenes look at the traditional henna party and a photo slideshow celebrating her daughter’s life.
No doubt there will be even more tantalising tidbits to pore over as the next wedding approaches.
