Why Crown Prince Hussein's bride Rajwa Al Saif's father didn't walk her down the aisle
Amidst the excitement of the Jordanian royal wedding, fans may not have noticed that Crown Prince Hussein's bride Rajwa Al Saif made an unusual journey down the aisle.
Instead of being accompanied by her father Khaled, the Saudi architect linked arms with her brother-in-law Prince Hashem as she headed to the altar at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan. According to Twitter fan account Couture and Royals, this is thought to be because Khaled and Prince Hussein's father King Abdullah acted as guardians at the ceremony and were therefore already seated.
Hussein and Rajwa were joined by around 140 guests at their Islamic marriage ceremony known as "katb ktab" in the gardens of the palace on Thursday at 2pm UK time. The newlyweds then travelled from Zahran Palace to Al Husseiniya Palace in a procession known as the Red Motorcade.
The Motorcade consisted of eight bright red armed Land Rover vehicles and 11 motorcycles, but on special occasions, horse and camel riders join the line-up and the Jordan Armed Forces Musical Band plays military music on bagpipes.
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A much bigger guest list of 1,700 gathered for performances by local and regional singers, as well as a choir, Jordanian bands, the national orchestra and folk dance troupes.
After the main reception, a wedding banquet took place at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by members of the Royal Hashemite Family, foreign and Arab heads of states, and high-ranking officials.
The Jordan Palace announced the news of the couple's engagement in August 2022, with the proposal taking place at the home of Rajwa's father in Riyadh, where members of both families were in attendance.
Photos shared by the Palace on Instagram showed the happy couple smiling as they celebrated the news, as well as the bride-to-be's beautiful pear-cut Harry Winston engagement ring.
In their official engagement photographs, Rajwa showed off a special gift from her new royal in-laws. The 29-year-old looked striking in a colourful floor-length skirt and a white shirt, both from Sara Roka. She teamed her outfit with blue Valentino slingback pumps and eye-catching earrings that previously belonged to Hussein's mother Queen Rania.
Sharing her delight for her son, Queen Rania took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt message to the newly-engaged couple.
"I didn't think it was possible to hold so much joy in my heart! Congratulations to my eldest Prince Hussein and his beautiful bride-to-be, Rajwa," she wrote, and later added: "Excited to welcome my third daughter, Al Hussein’s bride-to-be, Rajwa, to the family! We’re so happy for you both."
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