Jordan’s royal family is gearing up for the wedding of the summer with Crown Prince Hussein’s wedding to Rajwa Al-Saif this month. But will the Prince and Princess of Wales be there?
In September, it was announced that Hussein, a Sandhurst graduate, 28, is to marry Saudi Arabian-born architect Rajwa, also 28, after an engagement ceremony at the bride-to-be’s home in Riyadh.
The couple will tie the knot on June 1 and plan to host a selection of international guests for their big day at Zahran Palace.
Jordan holds special memories of Kate and it is speculated that she will be there.
Bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif walks at a dinner party held by Queen Rania of Jordan, in honor of her upcoming wedding on June 1 to Crown Prince Hussein
Queen Rania of Jordan (right) and Princess Iman bint Abdullah II at the celebratory dinner
The Prince and Princess of Wales speak with King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at a pre-lunch reception for Sovereign Monarchs and guests at Windsor Castle on May 18, 2012
The Middleton family spent three years in Jordan in the early 1980s, when the Princess of Wales was just two years old, after her father Michael, a British Airways executive, moved to Amman for work.
Having previously released a photo from their time in Jordan, the snapshot shows Kate aged four with her father and younger sister Pippa at an archaeological site.
Speaking of Kate’s childhood with Save the Children’s CEO Rania Malki during a tour of the Middle East in 2018, Prince William said: “She loved it here, she really did. She’s very upset that I come here without her.’
William visited the ruins of a Roman settlement in Jerash, where Kate was pictured with Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein, before posing for a photo at the same spot.
The Prince of Wales told photographers: “We’ll have to take the kids next time.”
And to stay true to its word, Kensington Palace revealed in 2021 that William and Kate had taken George, Charlotte and Louis on holiday to Jordan when they released their Christmas card.
The palace revealed that the photo was taken in Jordan earlier that year when the royal family of five visited the ancient city of Petra.
The Jordanian royal family has long had a close relationship with the British royal family.
A family photo of Kate, now the Princess of Wales, aged four with her father Michael Middleton and sister Pippa in Jerash, Jordan
Prince William and Crown Prince Hussein look at an enlarged version of the same photo
In 2021, Kensington Palace revealed that William and Kate had taken George, Charlotte and Louis on holiday to Jordan when they released a Christmas card featuring this image
Hussein, 28, is set to marry Saudi Arabian-born Rajwa next week, also 28, pictured together
King Abdullah and Queen Rania were among those on the ‘slimed down’ guest list of 2,300 at Westminster Abbey on May 6 for the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The couple also attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral last September.
Queen Rania referred to the late Monarch as the ‘Queen of the World’ in a sweet Instagram tribute and even admitted she ‘looked up’ to Queen Elizabeth during an interview with ITV News.
Raina also spoke fondly of the Princess of Wales during an interview with CNN taped in London in September 2022, prior to the funeral.
Speaking of the mother of three, Rania, who is married to King Abdullah II of Jordan, praised Kate for her sense of duty and said she “gives from the heart.”
The royal women have many similarities – both mothers are passionate advocates for child welfare.
King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania of Jordan attend the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6
The then Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pictured on a walking tour of Umm Qais on Nov. 17, 2021
King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania greet King Charles and Queen Camilla as they arrived at the Royal Palace on March 12, 2013 while visiting the Jordan River
Queen Rania is also a councilor for the Earthshot Prize, launched by Prince William in 2020.
The VIP confirmed guest list for the wedding includes Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his wife Mary, as well as Japan’s Princess Hisako and Princess Tsuguko.
The Dutch monarchs have also confirmed that they will be there to celebrate with a message on their website.
Other royals planning to take part in the celebrations include Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden – who recently attended King Charles III’s coronation – and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.