Kings Juan Carlos and Sofia will attend this week, in Amman, the ceremonies organized on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan to the Saudi architect Rajwa Khalid. It will be the third occasion, after the funerals of Elizabeth II and Constantine of Greece, that they appear together since the King's father went into self-exile in the summer of 2020. Queen Sofia will travel to Jordan from Madrid, and the King Juan Carlos, from Abu Dhabi.
The traditional friendship between the Jordanian and Spanish royal families, cemented in the reigns of Hussein I and Juan Carlos I, means that the Jordanian court extended invitations to the entire royal family and also to the children Elena and Cristina. It does not seem, however, that the capital day should be the scene of a family reunion, since it is not planned that Kings Felipe and Letícia attend the link. The then princes of Asturias, accompanied by Queen Sofia, did go, on May 28, 2004, shortly after their own wedding, to that of the then crown prince, Hamzah, son of Hussein and Nur and half-brother, for both, of the current Jordanian monarch, which was celebrated in Petra.
Prince Hamzah, who had been designated by the late King Hussein, ceased to be heir shortly after his wedding, when King Abdullah displaced him in favor of his eldest son, Hussein. A few months ago Hamzah starred in a palatial coup that ended with his house arrest, although shortly after, and after a public request for forgiveness from his brother, he was rehabilitated.
The Jordanian monarchy, despite preserving Arab traditions, has moved away from other monarchies in the area to resemble European ones. The personality and popularity in the world of Queen Rania has influenced this image. The wedding of his eldest son and heir is the perfect occasion to unite tradition and modernity. For this, they count on the complicity of other royal houses who always have Abdallah and, above all, Rania among the guests at all their celebrations.
For the wedding of Hussein and Rajwa, Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband, Daniel Westling, have confirmed their presence; Hakoon and Mette-Marit of Norway; Frederick and Mary of Denmark; the kings William and Máxima of Holland, accompanied by the heiress princess Amàlia, as well as representatives of Japan, Luxembourg and the Gulf monarchies.
The ceremony will be held on Thursday at Zahran Palace, followed by a banquet at Al-Husseiniya Palace. For Jordanians, the festivities begin today with a free concert at the Amman Stadium, featuring Jordanian singing stars such as Hosni and Alama, Ahmed Saad and Diana Karazon. On the 31st there will be a reception for foreign guests.
