Country stops for royal wedding extravaganza
Jordan’s crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family yesterday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region’s newest power couple.
The marriage of Crown Prince Hussein, 28, and Saudi architect
Rajwa Alseif, 29, drew a star-studded guest list including Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate, as well as US First Lady Jill Biden.
The celebrations hold deep significance for the region, emphasising continuity in an Arab state prized for its longstanding stability and refreshing the monarchy’s image after a palace feud.
It even could help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic bond with its oil-rich neighbour, Saudi Arabia.
The bride, wearing an elegant white dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, arrived at Zahran Palace in a 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom V custom-made for the crown prince’s late great-grandmother. The crown prince arrived earlier in full ceremonial military uniform with a gold-hilted sabre.
The families and their guests gathered in an open-air gazebo decked with flowers and surrounded by landscaped gardens for a traditional Muslim wedding ceremony known as ‘‘katb al-ketab’’. The crowd erupted in applause after the signing of the marriage contract.
Alseif will henceforth be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, according to a royal decree.
Several kilometres away, a jolt went through a packed ancient Roman amphitheatre as viewers watched the couple seal their vows and exchange rings on a wide screen.
After several minutes of stillness, the crowd of some 18,000 people were on their feet, waving flags and shrieking with excitement at one of several viewing parties held across the nation.
The kingdom declared yesterday a public holiday so crowds of people could gather to wave at the couple’s motorcade amid a heavy security presence across the city.