- Crown The heir who displaced Noor's son in Jordan's Game of Thrones
- Middle East Palace intrigue in Jordan
The last wedding of a crown prince in Jordan until Thursday was held almost two decades ago. The same Zahran Palace – in Amman, the capital of the country – in which today Hussein, firstborn of King Abdullah and Queen Rania, and the architect of Saudi origin Rajwa Al-Saif, both 28 years old, were given, was the scene in which in 2004 the lavish banquet was held on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Hamzah and his cousin Noor Rajwa Al-Saif . Hamzah, son of the late King Hussein and his last wife, the American and media Noor, would lose only a few months later that title of crown prince. His half-brother, the monarch, decided to break the supposed last will of his father and a few years later followed his own plans and designated as a clear successor his firstborn son, now protagonist of the great royal wedding of the year.
In between, the Hashemite Court has experienced moments of great compulsion for games of thrones that have left victims along the way, including an attempted palace coup carried out by the aforementioned Hamzah in 2021 that concluded with his arrest, his subsequent request for public forgiveness to his brother and, finally, his renunciation of the title of prince for his rejection of the way of governing of the current Jordanian authorities. whom he did not hesitate to accuse of being "corrupt".
All this complicated political background is inevitably present in this Jordanian royal wedding. This Middle Eastern country for decades has played an important role in the unstable balance of the regional chessboard and is the only monarchy that does not swim in hydrocarbons in the area. And the Jordanians have turned in recent weeks with all the pomp that has preceded the great royal wedding of the heir. All conspired not to remember in public the dynastic intrigues, the repudiated Hamzah or the loser queen dowager Noor, who is no longer nor expected in the lands of what became her new homeland. But, like any link of a royal heir, no one escapes the fact that it is a state event with which, first of all, the Hashemite dynasty intends to launch an image of stability and continuity to the world, without losing sight of the fact that in Amman they are very interested in refining their relations with Riyadh based on the Saudi origin of the new crown princess consort.
Royal guests
Representatives of numerous royal families from around the world, especially European and of course from the Middle East, have gathered in Amman to give their support to Kings Abdullah and Rania and the bride and groom. The Spanish case draws attention. Despite the very close relationship for many decades between the Hashemite dynasty and the Bourbons, Zarzuela has incomprehensibly played the clueless at all times hiding behind the fact that it is a private event, as if the wedding of a crown prince in a reigning monarchy was not a political event of the first magnitude. Neither Don Felipe nor Doña Letizia have moved to Amman and the opportunity has been wasted for the crown princess, Leonor, to make her debut before the global royalty. It represents in the wedding to our Royal Family Doña Sofía, who attends accompanied by Don Juan Carlos. The Emeriti meet again after seeing each other at the funeral for Constantine of Greece last January in Athens. Although from Zarzuela, unofficially, they wanted to emphasize that Juan Carlos I attends the wedding in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Spanish Bourbons. All quite Kafkaesque. Anyway.
And, beyond ours, the guest list is very extensive. The Windsors this time have risen to the occasion and have sent to Haman the heirs, theprinces William and Catherine. And, next to them, a very long list of the Götha: the kings William and Maxima of the Netherlands, together with their firstborn Amalia; King Philippe of the Belgians with the heiress Elizabeth; Prince Sebastian of Luxembourg, who coincided with Hussein at the Sandhurst Military Academy in the United Kingdom; Frederick and Mary of Denmark; Prince Haakon of Norway; Princes Victoria and Daniel of Sweden; the kings of Malaysia, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei; the custody of the Romanian Crown Margaret and her husband Radu; the Japanese princess Hisako of Takamado with her daughter Tsuguko... There has also been no shortage of other important international figures, such as the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden. Don't forget that Amman is one of Washington's main allies in the troubled region.
The bride and groom say yes I want in an elegant ceremony, following the Muslim rite, in the gardens of the Zahran Palace (built in 1957), before about 140 people, including royal guests.
It is expected that Prince Hashem (younger brother of the groom) will accompany Rajwa Al Saif on the promenade to the place adapted for the ceremony, while the father of the bride waits for his daughter opposite, along with Prince Hussein and King Abdullah.
Next, the newlyweds will tour the main avenues of Amman, well decorated for the occasion, in one of the convertible cars of the dynasty, as did in 1993 the parents of the groom, the then Prince Abdullah and the woman born in Kuwait of Palestinian origins with whom he fell in love: Rania Al-Yassin . Although he was the firstborn male of King Hussein, he was not then crown prince and it was not clear that he would ever occupy the throne.
The grand treat of this royal wedding, attended by 1,700 guests, will take place in another royal residence in Amman, the Al Husseiniya Palace, official seat of the Hashemite Monarchy, where the sovereign's work offices are located.
The whole evening will be enlivened by performances by local and regional singers, Jordanian choirs and bands, the national orchestra and folk dance groups. Several numbers will pay tribute to the crown prince's military career, his girlfriend's Saudi Arabian heritage and traditional Jordanian art.
And, as in any wedding at least of Western style that boasts, the most significant moment will come when the newlyweds cut the gigantic wedding cake.
On Wednesday evening, the eve of the wedding, King Abdullah hosted a dinner honoring his firstborn that was attended by more than 4,000 attendees representing all segments of the country's society. The monarch presented his eldest son with the Hashemite sword, a symbol of justice, which is a copy of Abdullah I's sword made in 1916. The new piece has been made with iron extracted from the stones surrounding the castle of Ajlou. "28 years ago, our almighty lord blessed me with Hussein, and today I am proud of him. I am proud of his determination and great ambition for his country and his love and devotion for his family," an emotional monarch said of his successor.
In the same setting of that multitudinous banquet, the Madareb Bani Hashem, last week took placethe traditional henna festival that Queen Rania organized for her daughter-in-law. The important event was attended by all the women of the Hashemite dynasty, with the exception of the Dowager Queen Noor and her two daughters. Nobody expected them but impossible not to remember them.
- Jordan
- Juan Carlos I
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