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Perhaps not a marriage of convenience, but Jordan is widely expected to benefit from the Crown Prince tying the knot with Saudi heiress Rajwa Al Saif. Rajwa, an architect trained at Syracuse University in New York also has a degree in Visual Communications from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
More than her degrees, the point of interest is her Saudi pedigree. Her father is a businessman and member of Subai tribe which has ancient roots in Arabian Peninsula. But the real USP she brings to the Jordanian table is the fact that her mother is related to Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, said to have been the favorite wife of Saudi Arabia’s founder King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. She gave birth to seven sons, known famously as Sudairi Seven, including the country’s current ruler, King Salman.
To get the perspective right, Jordan is in a tight economic spot. The country is not resource rich like its GCC friends. It is water-stressed, suffers from high unemployment, rising fuel and other prices. Though surrounded by volatile neighbors like Syria, Iraq and Israel, the moderate monarchy has been a bulwark of stability and dependable Western ally.
Thus the country can immensely benefit from a benevolent big brother in Saudi Arabia. It was a couple of years ago that a shadow of doubt lingered on the ties. In the wake of a fumbled coup attempt by half-brother of current King Abdulla II, there were whispers of Saudi interest to bail out one of the alleged plotters. That indeed is past now and a favorable ambience in Riyadh brought in by the espousal can do a world of good for the beleaguered nation. Though no one is sure as to how long it will take Crown Prince Hussein to ascend the throne, the future King is the ‘son-in-law’ to the regional super power with the strongest financial muscle.
Prince Hussein, named after his much loved grandfather, graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in international history in 2016 and from the British Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst the following year. He has built up the right credentials of his own. In 2015, Hussein was the youngest person to ever chair a meeting at the U.N. Security Council, leading a discussion about how to help young people confront violent extremism and promote peace. Two years later, and just out of college, he addressed the U.N. General Assembly. He is supposed to be actively involved in state matters of late in an act of obvious grooming for the D-Day. The ingenuity of the young man shall be needed (and tested) when the mantle falls on him to lead the struggling nation where elected governments have been the whipping boy of public anger though monarchy wields the real power.
The Saudi support that his better half may ensure may be a shot in the arm for the future king. There is no clarity as to where the young couple met or how long the courtship lasted before leading to the altar. Hence it will be preposterous even to suggest that it was a marriage of convenience with the Saudi factor as the bait. However, it is reasonable to believe that the nuptials will help bolster Jordan’s relation with the most powerful Arab kingdom.
The wedding was a colorful show with enough stress on Jordanian culture and traditions. For good measure, royal families and representatives of governments from many countries attended the rare glamorous bonanza in Amman. Common Jordanians also had a break from the monotonous rigmarole of demanding daily life in the form of holidays and a roadside view of the royal riches. The influx of VIPs in their couture best kept the fashion reporters on their toes.
While the creations from the usual suspects – American and Lebanese designers – were on display, a couple of curious observations were worth noting as a titbit tailpiece to the story of the fairy matrimony. American first lady Jill Biden wore a mauve gown which appeared strikingly familiar (”gosh, seen it somewhere”) to some. The term ‘eagle-eyed’ must have been tailor made for them as Ms.Biden was apparently adorned in the same gown for the state dinner in White House when the South Korean President and wife came visiting just a month ago. To put the record straight, she has made it a healthy habit to re-wear her ceremonial attires – but then, in such quick succession when the previous robe was yet to disappear from the minds of scribes on style beat, was seen as a ‘bold act’!
The other remark was on the bride’s hosiery. Rajwa was wearing flat shoes which, some newsmen felt, was diminishing the grandeur of an acre-long overskirt designed by Lebanese designer Elie Saab. “Flats! – sacrilege” they seemed to have cried.
Hopefully, the absence of high heels won’t prove to be an achilles heel in her progress to be the future Queen Rajwa of Jordan!
