On Monday night, the Queen of Jordan, 52, threw a dinner party in honor of her eldest son’s upcoming nuptials to Rajwa Alseif on June 1. The celebration was held at Royal Hashemite Court’s Madareb Bani Hashem and brought together women from both families as well as the larger Jordanian kingdom.
Queen Rania praised Rajwa in her welcome speech, describing her soon-to-be daughter-in-law as “the sweetest and most beautiful bride-to-be” and as dear to her as her daughters Princess Iman and Princess Salma. Queen Rania and her husband King Abdullah II of Jordan are parents to Crown Prince Hussein, 28, Princess Iman (a newlywed herself!), 26, Princess Salma, 22, and Prince Hashem, 18.
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“I’ll never forget how happy His Majesty and I were when Al Hussein told us he wanted to marry Rajwa. She is the perfect answer to all my prayers for him,” Rania, 52, said, wishing the young couple a bright future. “May you always be each other’s source of happiness and support,” she said.
Speaking from the heart to Rajwa’s mother Azza, the Queen said she knew how she must be feeling as her daughter Iman got married just two months ago. In a reassuring word, Rania said, “We and Al Hussein will take the very best care of Rajwa. This is her country, and she is among her family and her people.”
As the eldest son of King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein, 28, is the future King of Jordan, making Rajwa, 29, the future Queen. Queen Rania touched on her tight family bonds, sharing, “As mothers, the one thing we truly want is to make sure that our children are happy. We often ask ourselves whether we did the best we can to raise our children. During His Majesty the late King Hussein’s final days and before his passing, I made him a promise to raise Al Hussein the way he wanted him to be raised.”
The royal added that she knew her late father-in-law, King Hussein of Jordan, would be proud of the man his grandson is today, from his bravery as a soldier to his desire to share the joy of his wedding with the Jordanian people.
“That’s when I realized that he is a true, self-aware Hashemite, who is both a part of you, and here to serve you,” she said. “I can now tell His Majesty the late King Hussein that I was true to my word.”
Rajwa wiped her eyes during Rania’s speech but was otherwise all smiles at the special event. She glittered in a white dress with gold embroidery and a coordinating veil from Saudi designer Honayda, Hello! reported, and danced during the party. The festivities also included performances of traditional Jordanian and Saudi songs from local artists, a Zaffeh entrance for the bride-to-be and henna for guests.
The Arab Weekly reports that the pre-wedding henna party tradition has evolved in Jordan in recent years. What used to be a “sad occasion as the bride prepared to leave her family home” has been reimagined as a shower-like festivity, Jordanian henna artist Naqa’ Gharaibeh told the outlet.
Hussein and Rajwa announced their engagement in August 2022, and like many modern couples, they shared the happy news on Instagram.
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“We pray that God grants us His blessings. Grateful to my dear Jordanian family for their heartfelt support and kind wishes,” Hussein wrote of the photo where he and Rajwa posed close, her diamond ring on display.
On New Year’s Eve, the Royal Hashemite Court announced that the couple would wed on June 1 — next Thursday! It remains unclear how the couple connected and how long they have been together.
Hussein is a captain in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His fiancée is the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz al-Saif. She previously studied at Syracuse University in New York and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
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