Royal wedding in Jordan signals stronger ties with Saudi Arabia

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Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II married Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif on Thursday at the palace in the capital city of Amman. The 28-year-old prince is the heir to the Western-allied monarchy, and Alseif’s family has ties to Saudi Arabian aristocracy. The couple was formally engaged in August 2022 in a Muslim ceremony in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

What does this union mean for international politics? Jordanian political analyst Amer Sabaileh said the marriage signals improved relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the wedding. He visited Jordan in 2022 after years of tensions between the countries. Other international royalty and diplomats attended the celebration, including Britain’s Prince William and Princess Kate and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD Magazine about Muslims’ increasing interest in Christianity.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.