Jordanian Crown Prince Al Hussein, Saudi Rajwa Alseif to get married on Thursday
- 31 May 2023
He's heir to the throne in one of the oldest monarchies in the Middle East and a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). She's a Saudi architect with an aristocratic pedigree of her own.
Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II, 28, and Rajwa Alseif, 29, are to be married on Thursday at a palace wedding in Jordan.
The families have not said how the couple met or provided any details about their courtship. They were formally engaged at a traditional Muslim ceremony in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in August 2022 that was attended by senior members of Jordan's royal family.
The bride and groom are destined to become a power couple in the Middle East, forging a new bond between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
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Here's a look at the bride and groom.
A US-educated architect with Arabian tribal roots
Rajwa Alseif was born in Riyadh on April 28, 1994, the youngest of four children.
Her mother, Azza Bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Sudairi, is related to Hussa Bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, who is said to have been the favourite wife of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, and gave birth to seven of his sons, including the country's current ruler, King Salman.
For decades, the so-called Sudairi Seven, most of whom are now deceased, were seen as a major locus of power within the Saudi royal family.
Alseif's father, Khalid, is a member of the Subai, a prominent tribe in the Arabian Peninsula with ancient roots. He's also the founder of El Seif Engineering Contracting, which built Riyadh's iconic Kingdom Tower and other high-rises across the Middle East.
Rajwa studied architecture at Syracuse University in New York, where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2017. A graduation video shows her receiving her degree in sparkling silver sneakers.
The year before, she led a Spring Break architecture symposium in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, that was funded by her father's company.
"What made this trip so memorable for me... was seeing the students in the studio experience Arabic culture and architecture for the first time," she was quoted as saying by a university newspaper.
She went on to earn a degree in visual communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
An official biography shared by the Jordanian royal palace says her hobbies include horseback riding and handmade arts, and that she is fluent in English, French and her native Arabic.
A Crown Prince long groomed to lead
Crown Prince Hussein was born June 28, 1994. He is the oldest son of Abdullah, 61, who has ruled Jordan as a reliable Western ally and voice of moderation through more than two decades of turmoil in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Iraq, all of which border the small, resource-poor kingdom.
The Hashemites, as Jordan's ruling family is known, trace their lineage back to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The crown prince is named after his grandfather, King Hussein, who ruled Jordan for 46 years until his death in 1999 and remains a beloved figure for many Jordanians.
It could be years before the crown prince becomes king, but his training has already begun.
He graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in international history in 2016 and from the British Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst the following year. He holds the rank of captain in the Jordanian military and routinely takes part in drills and ceremonies.
He has joined his father on overseas trips, including a recent meeting at the White House with President Joe Biden. The prince shared pictures from the visit on his Instagram feed, which has over 4 million followers and also features more casual photos.
In 2015, Hussein was the youngest person to ever chair a meeting at the U.N. Security Council, leading a discussion about how to help young people confront violent extremism and promote peace. Two years later, and just out of college, he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.
Associated Press