Glittering Jewels (and a Bridal Tiara!) at the Crown Prince of Jordan’s Royal Wedding

Crown Prince Hussein, the 28-year-old elder son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, married his Saudi Arabian fiancée, Rajwa Al-Saif, in Amman on Thursday. Rajwa, who is 29, is a cousin of the King of Saudi Arabia.

The traditional Muslim wedding ceremony took place in the beautiful gardens of the Zahran Palace in Amman. The palace, which was once the royal residence of Crown Prince Hussein’s great-grandmother, Queen Zein, has hosted numerous royal weddings. The groom’s parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, were married there in 1993, and his grandparents, King Hussein and Princess Muna, were also married at the same palace in 1961.

Rajwa arrived at the palace with her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Crown Prince Hussein’s younger brother, Prince Hashem. (Both Rajwa’s father and King Abdullah had roles to play in the wedding itself, so Hashem was the next choice for her escort. For her wedding to King Abdullah in 1993, Queen Rania was similarly escorted by her brother-in-law, Prince Faisal.) For the wedding, Rajwa selected a gown that married traditional and modern designs. Harper’s Bazaar Arabia writes that the gown was made by a favorite couturier of royal women, Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Vogue Arabia described the dress as “a body skimming number that came sans embellishment, but stood out for its elegantly sculpted asymmetrical neckline.”

Vogue Arabia added, “Along with the full-sleeved gown came a detachable train with floral detailing that added volume and drama to her wedding look.”

With the Elie Saab gown, Rajwa wore a modern parure of diamond jewels.

She secured her veil with a diamond tiara. The piece features Arabic script in its design. I haven’t seen the maker of the piece identified yet, but I’d wager that the tiara and earrings were both made by Chaumet.

The traditional ceremony was short and simple but meaningful.

Here’s another look at Rajwa’s jewels as she signs the marriage contract.

And here, the couple exchange rings.

The ceremony was witnessed by family and friends—and, given that it celebrated the marriage of a future King and Queen, by foreign diplomats, politicians, and royals as well.

And then, they rode through the streets of Amman in the same car that was used by his parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, on their wedding day thirty years ago.

King Abdullah and Queen Rania were the elegant hosts for the event. Rania wore a black Christian Dior gown for the occasion.

The dress featured floral embroidery at the neck, cuffs, and on the back of the gown.

Queen Rania accessorized with a pair of gold earrings.

The bride’s mother, Azza Al-Sudairi, wore lilac for her daughter’s nuptials.

She wore a major pair of earrings set with diamonds and green gemstone drops. (Emerald? Jade?)

The groom’s sisters, Princess Iman and Princess Salma, acted as the bride’s attendants as she walked through the gardens, expertly handling that long train and veil.

Many other members of the Jordanian royal family were in attendance as well. (I’ll identify some of them, but there were many more that escaped my immediate eye.) Here’s the groom’s grandmother, the elegant Princess Muna, with her daughters, Princess Aisha and Princess Zein.

Princess Muna wore a modern pair of earrings set with diamonds and amethysts.

Princess Aisha wore a gorgeous pair of diamond and gold fringe earrings.

And Princess Zein wore diamond studs and a diamond bracelet.

The King’s brother, Prince Faisal, was also in attendance with his wife, Princess Zeina.

And four more of the King’s half-siblings were there as well. Here’s Princess Alia, the daughter of King Hussein and his first wife, Princess Dina.

Prince Ali, the son of King Hussein and his third wife, Queen Alia, was there with his wife, Princess Rym.

Prince Hashim, the younger son of King Hussein and his fourth wife, Queen Noor, arrived with his wife, Princess Fahdah.

And here’s Princess Raiyah, the younger daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor, as she and her husband, Ned Donovan, arrived for the wedding. She wore diamonds and sapphires for the ceremony.

The King’s uncle, Prince Hassan, attended with his wife, Princess Sarvath, who wore earrings with diamond ribbon studs and pearl drops.

All four of their children were present as well. Here’s Princess Rahma, wearing a demi-parure of gold jewels.

Here’s Princess Sumaya, who wore several bracelets, plus a diamond ornament in her hair.

Princess Badiya, who wore a suite of gold and diamond jewels, attended the ceremony with her husband, Khaled Edward Blair.

And Hassan and Sarvath’s son, Prince Rashid, was there with his wife, Princess Zeina.

Princess Zeina’s diamond earrings were some of my favorites of the day.

The King’s aunt, Princess Basma, attended with several members of her family. She wore a golden pearl necklace and diamond earrings with black pearl drops.

And Princess Firyal, the glamorous former wife of the King’s late uncle, Prince Muhammad, was there, too. She wore a major pair of metallic statement earrings.

With Princess Firyal were both of her sons and their wives. Here’s Prince Talal with Princess Ghida and Princess Firyal.

And here’s Prince Ghazi with his wife, Princess Miriam, who wore a major emerald ring on her right hand. If she looks vaguely familiar, there’s good reason. Miriam is the widow of Prince Kardam, the son of Bulgaria’s last monarch, Simeon II. Kardam died in 2015 after dealing for years from the serious injuries he suffered in a 2008 car accident. Miriam married Prince Ghazi in September 2022.

There were plenty of familiar royal guests in attendance as well. King Philippe of the Belgians attended with his elder daughter, Princess Elisabeth.

With her purple gown, Elisabeth wore a pair of diamond and kunzite earrings borrowed from her mother, Queen Mathilde.

Princess Elisabeth also borrowed one of Queen Mathilde’s diamond and pearl brooches to wear in her hair.

Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan wore a lovely suite of jewels set with orange-red cabochons. Her sister-in-law, Princess Euphelma, wears a set with blue-green beads.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, wearing a gown we previously saw her wear for birthday celebrations in Oslo, wore a pair of diamond earrings, the “Lotus” style from Dulong (previously worn for Princess Madeleine of Sweden’s wedding).

The imperial family of Japan was represented by Princess Takamado (in pearls and sapphires) and her daughter, Princess Tsuguko (in, I believe, diamonds and emeralds).

Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein wore a gorgeous antique sapphire and diamond necklace and coordinating earrings from her own family collection.

Here’s a closer look at the fabulous necklace and earrings.

Queen Azizah of Malaysia wore an eye-catching necklace set with diamonds and red and green gems, plus two brooches.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands attended the wedding as well.

Queen Máxima wore her demi-parure set with blue gemstones and moonstones. She’s paired the jewels with this gown on previous occasions as well.

Sheikha Moza, mother of the Emir of Qatar, looked like she stepped directly off of a couture runway, as usual. (It’s vintage Valentino, per Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.)

She wore a major pair of earrings with interlocking pendants with her outfit.

King Juan Carlos of Spain made a rare appearance at this wedding (and a rare appearance with his wife, Queen Sofia).

Queen Sofia wore a demi-parure of sapphire and diamond jewels for the nuptials. We recently saw her daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia, wear the earrings from the set.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, wearing pearl drop earrings, attended the wedding with Prince Daniel.

Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which feature colored gems set in the pendants.

Making one of their first major international royal appearances together, the Prince and Princess of Wales were also present for the wedding. Like the bride, Princess Catherine wore an Elie Saab gown for the nuptials.

Kate accessorized with a pair of statement earrings that have been in her jewelry box for some time. One of her most prominent previous appearances in these earrings was at the BAFTAs in 2017.

And there was a surprise second British royal couple in attendance as well. Princess Beatrice of York was at the wedding with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Beatrice, who doesn’t usually wear earrings, made an exception for this event and wore the same pair of diamond earrings that she wore last year to celebrate her grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee.

A banquet (with tiaras!) took place later in the evening—don’t miss our article on those jewels, too!