Watch: Jordan’s King Abdullah II hosts dinner for more than 4,000 Jordanians ahead of royal wedding

DUBAI: As folks throughout Jordan, and the broader Arab world, put together to rejoice the marriage of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Rajwa Al-Saif from Saudi Arabia, Arab Information take a better have a look at the royal energy couple. 

Whereas Al-Saif largely lived exterior the general public eye till the couple’s engagement was introduced final yr, Hussein has been within the highlight for the reason that second he was born in Amman on June 28, 1994. He was appointed crown prince by royal decree on July 2, 2009. 

The 28-year-old prince, the eldest son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, has three siblings: Princess Iman, 26, who tied the knot with financier Jameel Alexander Thermiotis on March 12, Princess Salma, 22, and Prince Hashem, 18. 

The crown prince was named after his grandfather, King Hussein bin Talal, who grew to become king in 1952 on the age of 17 and dominated Jordan for nearly 5 a long time till his loss of life in 1999. Hussein’s paternal grandmother is Princess Muna Al-Hussein, a British convert to Islam, and his mom is of Palestinian descent. 

He full his highschool research in 2012 at King’s Academy in Jordan. In 2016, he graduated with a level in worldwide historical past from Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. 

Like many male members of the Jordanian royal household, together with his father and grandfather, the prince attended Britain’s prestigious Royal Army Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 2017. 

He typically accompanies King Abdullah throughout official visits in Jordan and has additionally launched into a number of official journeys overseas. Most lately, he accompanied the king and queen on a go to to Japan in April. 

“The King has been making ready the prince for years,” Samih Al-Maaytah, Jordan’s former minister of knowledge, advised Arab Information. 

“The prince attends all of the necessary conferences of his majesty the king with world leaders within the United Nations, Europe and at worldwide and Arab conferences. So he’s being skilled immediately by the king.”  

In April 2015, on the age of 20, Crown Prince Hussein grew to become the youngest particular person to chair a session of the UN Safety Council when he presided over an open debate on the function of youth in efforts to counter violent extremism and promote peace. Consequently, in August 2015, Jordan hosted the primary International Discussion board on Youth, Peace and Safety, which produced the Amman Youth Declaration on these points. 

The prince made his debut in entrance of the UN Basic Meeting in 2017, when he delivered a speech criticizing the give attention to militarization within the Center East. 

He holds the rank of captain within the Jordanian Armed Forces and is usually an observer at army drills within the nation. He’s a certified helicopter pilot; after his first solo flight in 2018, he was doused with a bucket of water in a standard army celebration of such events. 

Al-Maaytah described the prince’s relationship with the Jordanian public as “lively, dynamic and near the youth.” Hussein oversees the Crown Prince Basis, which promotes schooling with a give attention to technical coaching and initiatives to learn younger folks in Jordan. 

The prince additionally based the Masar Initiative to encourage youths to take an curiosity and pursue careers within the subject of house expertise, and the “Listening to with out Borders” mission, which offers cochlear implants for deaf youngsters. 

“He at all times visits gatherings with the youth from completely different sectors, so he’s a job mannequin to the youth who’ve consciousness, who’re dynamic and passionate,” Al-Maaytah mentioned. 

Within the uncommon moments the prince has to himself to pursue his personal pursuits, he likes to share his actions and hobbies along with his 3.9 million followers on Instagram. He seems to love to remain lively and significantly enjoys basketball, soccer, mountaineering, cooking and taking part in the guitar. 

The crown prince and Al-Saif introduced their engagement in August final yr throughout a ceremony in Riyadh, within the presence of King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Al-Saif’s household. The royal household of Jordan’s Hashemite dynasty will welcome its latest member on June 1, when the couple are as a consequence of wed at Zahran Palace in Amman, however what do we all know in regards to the future queen? 

Born on April 28, 1994, Al-Saif is the daughter of Saudi businessman Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saif and his spouse, Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Sudairi. The youngest of 4 youngsters, her older siblings are referred to as Faisal, Nayef and Dana. 

The Al-Saif household traces its lineage to the Subay tribe, who’ve been current within the Sudair area of Najd for the reason that starting of the period of King Abdulaziz, the founding father of modern-day Saudi Arabia. 

Al-Saif’s mom comes from the distinguished Al-Sudairi household. By the way, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is among the so-called “Sudairi Seven,” an influential alliance of seven full brothers born to King Abdulaziz and Hussa bint Ahmed Al-Sudairi. 

After graduating from highschool in Saudi Arabia, Al-Saif studied at Syracuse College’s Faculty of Structure in New York state. She additionally holds an Affiliate of Arts Skilled Designation in visible communications from the Style Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. 

After a spell working at an structure agency in Los Angeles, she returned to her native Saudi Arabia to work on the Designlab Expertise design studio in Riyadh. 

Since their engagement, Al-Saif and the crown prince have made quite a few public appearances collectively, together with a go to in January to the “Perfume of Colours” initiative in Amman, which goals to show the blind and visually impaired to attract by figuring out colours by their sense of odor. They have been briefed by Suheil Baqaeen, the founding father of the initiative, on the inventive work of scholars throughout a workshop at Darat Suheil, a gallery and artwork house in Jabal Luweibdeh in Amman. 

“It was one of the vital lovely moments in my life. Consider you me, she is so easy, elegant, good and humble,” Baqaeen advised Arab Information when requested about his encounter with Al-Saif. “They usually each have been so, so candy. 

“They confirmed a lot sensitivity when speaking to the kids. When the crown prince and Ms. Rajwa got here to our easy Darat Suheil, they gave their constructive power to the kids by spending time with them and speaking to them. 

“It felt like a therapeutic power … there was no impediment within the dialog. There was a lot freedom to speak. She additionally requested the kids about their desires.” 

Baqaeen mentioned Al-Saif hung out portray alongside the kids. 

“She confirmed a whole lot of ability with the watercolor portray, since she is an architect and has a design background,” he added. 

The Royal Hashemite Court docket has but to disclose full particulars of Al-Saif’s future function as a working member of the Jordanian royal household after the marriage, although it’s thought doubtless she is going to observe in her mother-in-law’s footsteps as a philanthropic drive to be reckoned with, first as crown princess after which as queen.