Engagement of CP Hussein & Rajwa Al Saif: August 17, 2022


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I am not familiar with muslim engagement ceremonies, but:

Can someone tell me what has happened during the engagement ceremony? Was this with religious influences?


The engagement is a social ceremony rather than a religious one, as it is an occasion for the couple families to meet and greet each other. Usually, the attendees recite verses from the Holy Quran with some prayers "Duaa" for the couple, wishing them a life filled with happiness and joy.
 
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The bride to be was wearing a light vale to her hair although Queen Rania no. Is it an obligation for the bride only to wear a vale and not the other ladies? Or is it a sign that the future princess will be valed? She is Saudi and most of the Saudi ladies are wearing nikabs.

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"During a meeting with the shabab42 foundation today at Madaba, HM Queen Rania accidentally revealed Crown Prince Al Hussein's wedding date in a story that was shared on Instagram later the story was removed from the event feed.

The Queen mentioned that the wedding will take place in the summer of 2023."


https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch3L0vSqOtR/
 
If Saudi Arabia is more powerful than Jordan, are the parents of the bride actually better than the parents of the crown prince
I wouldn’t necessarily say that. But I would say that she comes from a very wealthy and important family and can be considered of noble birth. Even though she has ties to the Al-Saud dynasty, she isn’t a member of that dynasty.
 
If Saudi Arabia is more powerful than Jordan, are the parents of the bride actually better than the parents of the crown prince

What do you mean by 'better'? In terms of social standing: Hussein's father is a head of state (as was his grandfather etc. - and the family reigned over Mecca in the past and stems from Mohammed's great-grandfather (quite relevant in a muslim country - see 'Hashemites' on wikipedia)) and he himself is a future head of state. Quite hard to top that.
 
Then, if I understand correctly, Rajwa's mother is a second cousin of the current crown prince regent of Saudi Arabia?

Yes, she is, see my earlier post. The bride herself is a cousin twice removed from the current king. Her grandfather is/was the king's cousin.

Her full name is: Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmed al-Sudairi.

Given the prominence of the family, I wouldn't be surprised if the bride's mother is indeed somehow related to Hussa bint Ahmed al-Sudairi (the mother of the famous 7 (and one more son and 4 daughters)). Of course there are many Ahmeds, but it seems both Azza's paternal great-grandfather is called Ahmed al-Sudairi as well as the grandfather of the Sudairi seven. So, if we are talking about the same Ahmed, the bride to be would be a cousin twice removed from the current king.

Rajwa - Azza - Nayef - Abdulaziz - Ahmed
Salman - Hussa - Ahmed

Edit: According to wikipedia Hussa does indeed have a brother called Abdulaziz (again not an uncommon name - also shared by her own husband); but theoretically it is still possible that we are talking about the same Ahmed Al-Sudairi.

Both the Al Saif family as well as the Al Sudairi's are prominent in the Najd region where the Al Saifs are sheiks of the town of Al-Attar in Sudair, Najd and the Al Sudairi's are part of the noble Dawasir tribe settled in Al Ghat, Najd - about 100 km further down the road from Riyadh.
 
The bride to be was wearing a light vale to her hair although Queen Rania no. Is it an obligation for the bride only to wear a vale and not the other ladies? Or is it a sign that the future princess will be valed? She is Saudi and most of the Saudi ladies are wearing nikabs.

Sent from my SM-A426B using The Royals Community mobile app

In a different picture the future bride is not wearing a veil at all. So, I guess she did so because the engagement pictures were taken at her home in Saudi Arabia where she is expected to wear some head cover (although she did so very loosely) - but apparently she is fine not to wear a veil (once outside of SA).
 
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In a different picture the future bride is not wearing a vale at all. So, I guess she did so because the engagement pictures were taken at her home in Saudi Arabia where she is expected to wear some head cover (although she did so very loosely) - but apparently she is fine not to wear a vale (once outside of SA).

I am pretty certain all the pictures were taken in Jordan. The pictures from the engagement look like part of a Muslim ceremony and if you look at other Jordanian princesses during their engagement ceremony, they too also wear a veil
 
I am pretty certain all the pictures were taken in Jordan. The pictures from the engagement look like part of a Muslim ceremony and if you look at other Jordanian princesses during their engagement ceremony, they too also wear a veil

The engagement ceremony took place at the bride's parents' home in Riyadh, which is the capital of Saudi Arabia. The king and queen were reported to travel back to Jordan later that same day - which wouldn't make sense if they had been in Jordan all along.

I only just saw several pictures taken on that same day in which she wasn't wearing a veil, so, it might have indeed been specifically for the engagement.
 
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Some mentioned it is an arranged marriage. I wouldnt go as far, but I can see if there is some political thinking behind it too having a Saudi bride. Also I wonder how long have they been dating, as it seems none was aware about the relationship? Also how and where they met? However, she looks stunning on the official photos. I'm sure photos from her "western" life will be dragged out now.
 
These links don't seem to be working. :sad:


I have seen them but the tangles of the hashemite court probably have reached the poster of this picture or the moderators of Instagram and Facebook.
 
Maybe they did attend the same University

It is a rather fancy university, so it's possible. Members of the Saudi Royals attented it too. But I think Louis went to Edinburgh University, but of course he could have spent some time in the US. But seems it's not even clear that the lad on the photo is him.
 
It is a rather fancy university, so it's possible. Members of the Saudi Royals attented it too. But I think Louis went to Edinburgh University, but of course he could have spent some time in the US. But seems it's not even clear that the lad on the photo is him.
I was about to correct that. They probably just met there via mutual friends. It might not be him.
 
Something else that would interest me, if we have any Arab speaking people here: What do Jordans think about that the bride is Saudi? Or do people not care that the bride isnt Jordan?
 
Something else that would interest me, if we have any Arab speaking people here: What do Jordans think about that the bride is Saudi? Or do people not care that the bride isnt Jordan?
Not arab speaking, but all (future) Queens of Jordan in the younger past didn´t come from Jordan.
 
Something else that would interest me, if we have any Arab speaking people here: What do Jordans think about that the bride is Saudi? Or do people not care that the bride isnt Jordan?


The engagement was widely welcomed, especially on social media. Some considered it an arranged marriage, while others ‏view it as a good step towards improving relations with Saudi Arabia, especially after the recent sedition case.
The fact that Rajwa is an Arab-Muslim and belongs to a well-known Saudi tribe made it easy for Jordanians to accept her. I think they don't care that much about her nationality.
 
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Not arab speaking, but all (future) Queens of Jordan in the younger past didn´t come from Jordan.

Alia wasn't born in Jordan, but the fact she was from an extremely prominent Jordanian family is partly why King Hussein married her.

What degree of arranged marriage is this rumored to be, exactly? Hussein and Rajwa were introduced, or more than that?

Also is her name pronounced Raj-wa or Rai-wa?
 
Alia wasn't born in Jordan, but the fact she was from an extremely prominent Jordanian family is partly why King Hussein married her.

What degree of arranged marriage is this rumored to be, exactly? Hussein and Rajwa were introduced, or more than that?

Also is her name pronounced Raj-wa or Rai-wa?

Her name is pronounced Raj-wa with the "j".

Well, we don't know yet how did they met or got to know each other. Some people believe that it is a political union, and this belief was reinforced by the absence of any common link between the prince and his fiancée. Add to this the kinship relationship between Rajwa's parents and the Saudi royal family (though it a bit far).

Here is an article by Middle east eye:

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/...oyal-wedding-paves-way-cautious-rapprochement
 
I don’t think it was necessarily politically arranged
 
Where will Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa live after their marriage?
 
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