Sex & Relationships

Which country is set to see two big royal weddings next year

Love is iโ™›n the air for the royal family of Jordan.

The Middle Eastern kingdom, wedged between Israel and Iraq, is celebrating a trio of weddings and engagements as several senior fam๐ŸŒธily members are sayingโ€œI do.โ€

While the first of the, the first cousin of King Abdullah, and Princess Miriam of Turnovo โ€” the bigger scoop surrounds upcoming nuptials for both Crowโ™n Prince Hussein and Princess Iman, his sister.

They are the children of Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

The Crown Prince, 28, is set to marry Rajwa Khaled Bin Musaed Bin Saif Bin Abdulaziz Al Saif, 28, next summer. The Saudi stunner๐Ÿ’ฎ is the daughter of Khalid bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saifโ€”  โ€” and his wife, Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Sudairi.

Princess Iman in an official portrait honoring her engagement to Jameel Thermiotis, a businessman who was born in Venezuela but is now based in New York. Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP via G
Queen Rania (left), here with Princess Iman, is considered one of the world’s most stylish monarchs. Shutterstock

While the couple clearly appear besotted, Middle East observers suggest that regional diplomacy is as much behind the royal match as old-fash๊ฆ›ioned romance.

โ€œRajwa is Saudi has a good impact on Jordanians who see it as an opening for better relations with Saudi Arabia,โ€ said Randa Habib, Jordanian journalist and author of the book “.”

She also presents a more contemporary, forward-thinking image of Saudi Arabia, which remains deeply conservative, especially when it comes to women’s rights. โ€œThe family of Rawja are … more modern than expected and modest in their behaviors,” Habib said.

After atte๐Ÿ™ˆnding high school in Saudi Arabia, Al Saif moved to New York and studied architecture at Syracuse University. The soon-to-be princess โ€” and future queen โ€“ also attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and worked at an architecture firm there before moving back home to Riyadh, where she is employed at the Designlab Experience design studio.

King Abdullah (center) attends the August wedding of his cousin, Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad to Princess Miriam of Turnovo, a Spanish jewelry designer and socialite.
Crown Prince Hussein with his new fiancรฉe, Rajwa Al Saif. The couple will one day become King and Queen of Jordan. Balkis Press/Abaca/Sipa USA

Prince Hussein, who was named heir to the throne in 2009, also traveled abroad for his education. He graduated from both Georgetown Universiแƒฆty in 2016 and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 2017. He is now a Captain in the Jordanian Armed Forces.

For the Aug. 17 engagement, Queen Rania loaned her future daughter-in-law from coveted jewe๐ŸŸlry designer Stephen Webster. 

The Crown Prince and his fiancรฉe are already being compared to Prince William and Kate Middleton for their proximity to the throne, as well as their poise and glamorous vibes. Fashionistas have ๐ŸŒpointed out that Rajwaโ€™s official engagement portrait featuresCostarellos that is similar to the one Kate wore to announce her ownโ™› betrothal in 2010.

King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein during a White House visit with Joe and Jill Biden in July 2021. Jordan has long been one of the US’ strongest Middle Eastern allies. Best Image/BACKGRID

Howeve๐†r, a source close to the Jordanian royal family said that the comparison is only a๐ŸŽccurate in fashion, not substance.

โ€œWhile itโ€™s a new๊งŸ age and a new generation, the Crown Prince is highly influenced by his father and late grandfather,โ€ the source said. In Jordan, unlike in England, the royal directly runs and rules the nation.

The Jordanian royal family, minus Princess Iman, in 2018: (l-r) Prince Hashem, Queen Rania, Princess Salma, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein. Royal Hashemite Court via Getty Images
King Abdullah and Queen Rania drive through the streets of Amman on their wedding day in June 1993 โ€” mere months after meeting at a dinner party. AFP via Getty Images

Queen Rania will be knee-deep in wedding planning for a while, since her eldest daughter is also tying the knot. Earlier this summer, the palace announced that Princess Iman, 25, the second child โ™of the king and queen, will wed New York-based financier Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, 28. 

Although born in Caracas, Venezuela, and his real first name is Dimitrios; he goes by Jimmy, which the palace โ€œArabicizedโ€ to Jameel (translating to “beautiful” in Arabic).

The Thermiotis family secured ๐’†™the Dior franchise Venezuela, and eventually moved to Miami, where Jameel studied business administration at F๐’…Œlorida International University.

, known for her equestrian prowess and fashion style. She attended Georgetown University, but then switched to New Yorkโ€™s Parsons School of Design to finish her bachelorโ€™s degree. She met Thermiotis iโ™n New York, where he worked in private equity and venture capital. Their engagement was a surprise as the relationship had been kept extremely private.

King Abdullah and Queen Rania dazzle at the wedding of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling in Stockholm in 2010. WireImage
The King and Queen with Crown Prince Hussein in Washington, DC celebrating the Prince’s graduation from Georgetown University in 2016. Hussein, like his father, is directly descended from the Prophet Muhammed. Balkis Press/Sipa USA

Unlike her brother, Princess Iman has chosen to spend her life with someone who is not Arab and not Muslim, which has raised some eyebrows i๏ทฝn her home country.

โ€œThere have been mixed feelin๊ฆบgs regarding Princess Imanโ€™s choice,โ€ the close source acknowledged.

Still, the royal family clearly approves of the union, with the Crowโ™’n Prince โ€œWarmest congratulations to my dear sister Iman and her fiancรฉ Jameel on their engagement. I wish you a โ™’lifetime of happiness together.โ€

โ€œThe wedding of Princess Iman is expected to happen ๊ฆบin Jordan,โ€ Habib noted. โ€œAs for their activities later, they could live abroad and travel to Jordan occasionally.โ€ 

Crown Prince Hussein along with his parents, Queen Rania and King Abdullah, visit with Queen Elizabeth II and her daughter, Princess Anne, at Buckingham Palace in 2019. The Crown Prince completed much of his early education at England’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Shutterstock

The biggest wildcard has been the unexpected royal wedding that just took place between Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad, 56, and Princess Miriam of Turnovo, 59. The private ceremony at Amman’s Raghadan Palace on September 3 was attended by King Abdullah, Prince Hussein and Prince Talal Bin Muhammad โ€” but Jordanians found out about the nuptials through the Spanish media, not via the kingdom. 

It was the second marriage for both the bride and groom: In 1997, Prince Ghazi married Areej Zawawi, mother of their four children: Princess Tasneem, Prince Abdullah, Princess Jennah and Princess Salsabeel. They divorced in 2021. Prince Ghazi is 18th in line for the crown, and se๊ฆœrves as the personal adviser to the King on religious and๐Ÿ“– cultural affairs

Born to a Spanish noble family, Miriam became Princess Miriam of Turnovo when she married Bulgaria’s Prince Kardam in 1996. After having two sons, Prince Boris and Prince Beltrรก, things took a tragic turn: In 2008, the couple survived a serious car accident in Madrid, but Kardam remained in a coma before passing away seven years later in 2015. 

Happily, the royal gemologist and jewelry designer found love again with Prince Ghazi and turned heads in an elegant champagne-co๊ง™lored satin wedding gown.