Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif were married on Thursday in a lavish event chock full of international VIPs, including First Lady Jill Biden and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The pair wed in a traditional Muslim ceremony held at Zahran Palace in the Jordanian capital of Amman. The ceremony, known as “katb al-ketab,” took place in a flower-bedecked gazebo nestled among landscaped gardens. As soon as the ceremony ended, applause broke out as Alseif became Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, per royal decree.
The likes of everyone from Mrs. Biden to Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton attended the nuptials of Hussein, 28, and Alseif, 29. Middleton stunned in a blush-colored gown by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, who also made Princess Rajwa Alseif’s bridal dress. The appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales was a surprise, revealed by the palaces in Great Britain and Jordan just hours before the event.
Viewing parties for the livestreamed event were held across the kingdom, including one of 18,000 people who gathered in an ancient Roman amphitheater to watch on a wide screen.
After the ceremony, the newly minted royal couple traversed Amman in a motorcade to attend their reception at the Al Husseiniya Palace. Escorted by a military band, the two stood in an open-roofed Range Rover and waved to the well-wishers who lined the side of the road, cheering.
The union holds a wealth of political significance. Jordan, a strong Western ally, has a reputation for stability. Saudi Arabia, for its part, is a rising power broker for the tumultuous region.
Hussein will inherit the throne in one of the Middle East’s oldest monarchies. He is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Alseif has ties both to Saudi Arabia’s royal family through her mother, Azza al-Sudairi, and to an ancient, prominent Arab tribe, the Subai, through her billionaire businessman father, Khalid al-Saif.
Both Hussein and Alseif are U.S.-educated. The princess earned her architecture degree from Syracuse University in 2017.
“We are all so excited, so happy about this union,” the bride’s aunt Noura Al Sudairi told The Associated Press. “Of course it’s a beautiful thing for our families, and for the relationship between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.”