Jordan Crown Prince's Lavish Wedding...The World's Royal Families Stirred

Jordan Crown Prince Marries Saudi Architect
Future King Aids in Building Strategic Ties

Jordan Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah made headlines by holding a grand wedding with a woman from a prominent Saudi Arabian family.

According to local time on the 1st, daily Arab News reported that the wedding ceremony of Crown Prince Hussein (28) and his fianc?e Razwa Alsaif (29) was held at the Zahran Palace in Amman in the afternoon. The couple got engaged last August.

On the 1st (local time), Al Hussein bin Abdullah, Crown Prince of Jordan, and his fianc?e Razwa Alsaif are waving their hands.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The wedding was attended by more than 140 royal figures from around the world, including Britain's Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton. Also on the guest list were Jill Biden, wife of U.S. President Joe Biden, and John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Jordan, with a population of about 11 million, declared the day a public holiday and decorated major streets with national flags and banners. Large screens were installed in main squares and streets of Amman to broadcast the wedding. Approximately 18,000 spectators watching the broadcast stood up simultaneously and cheered, waving the flags of both countries immediately after the couple exchanged vows.

After the ceremony, the royal couple paraded through the streets in a white Range Rover, accompanied by a motorcade and a military band. Citizens enthusiastically congratulated the couple.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Saudi Arabia's bride Alsaif are waving to the citizens.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Hussein, appointed crown prince at the age of 15 in 2009, is the eldest son of King Abdullah II. He served as a helicopter pilot in the Jordanian army and made headlines in 2015 as the youngest chair of a United Nations Security Council meeting.

The bride Alsaif's father is known as a billionaire owner of a major Saudi construction company. Alsaif studied architecture at Syracuse University in New York and works as an architect in both the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Foreign media covering the wedding noted that it could help Jordan, which lacks natural resources, build strategic ties with Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer.

Jordanian political analyst Amer Sabaile told the Associated Press, "This is not just a wedding, but an event announcing the future king of Jordan."