Jordanian crown prince marries, new chapter in relationship with Saudi Arabia?

ReutersJordanian Crown Prince Hussein and his betrothed, Rajwa Al Saif, flanked by Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:30

For the first time in nearly thirty years, Jordan is celebrating a major royal wedding. The crown prince marries Prince Hussein today with the Saudi woman Rajwa Al Saif. The event is accompanied by a lot of pomp and circumstance, including famous guests, such as the Dutch royal couple and Princess Amalia.

And the hope is that the marriage will strengthen ties between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Until recently, the relationship between the Jordanian and Saudi royal houses was very tense.

Prince Hussein is 28, the first son of Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. He is a captain in the Jordanian army and has been preparing for kingship for years. He studied in England and the United States and in 2015 became the youngest person ever to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council. He was allowed to address the General Assembly two years later and twice accompanied his father during state visits to President Biden at the White House.

Last August, he got engaged to Rajwa Al Saif, 29 years old and an architect. Her father is a businessman, but more importantly, her mother belongs to the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Rajwa himself is a niece of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

These are images from the ceremony:

Jordanian crown prince gets married, Willem-Alexander and Maxima also present

Rajwa can thus become Jordan’s first Saudi queen. And that is saying something, because in recent years things have not gotten along between the countries.

Coup attempt?

When Donald Trump was in the White House, America strongly strengthened ties with Saudi Arabia. This allowed the Saudis in the Middle East to flex their muscles. For example, the boycott of Qatar and the ‘kidnapping’ of the Lebanese Prime Minister followed, two actions in which Riyadh played a major role and which caused a stir in the region.

But the Saudis’ new stance became a problem for Jordan in April 2021, when Jordanian authorities made a shocking discovery: a group of high-ranking conspirators was planning a coup in Amman. The alleged coup leader was the half-brother of the Jordanian king, the former crown prince, Hamzah, who is still under house arrest.

One of the many detainees was found to have exchanged encrypted messages with an adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The conversation between the coup plotters was about how and when they could best destabilize the regime of Jordan’s King Abdullah. They would have wanted to use the corona pandemic and Jordan’s weak economy to stir up unrest.

Saudi Arabia denied any involvement in the coup attempt and sent a delegation to Amman to personally assure King Abdullah that the country had no bad intentions. But Abdullah was not reassured. He flew to Riyadh with his son Hussein and directly told Mohammed bin Salman that no one would benefit from destabilizing his country.

rapprochement

With today’s marriage, the two countries seem to be moving closer. Immediately after the engagement, the Saudi crown prince called Hussein to wish him and his wife-to-be good luck.

AP

Wedding Jordan

Reuters

Wedding day: Spectators in Amman try to catch a glimpse of the royal couple

Reuters

Parade in the streets of Amman today, in celebration of the princely wedding

It makes sense for both countries to restore ties. Nearly half a million Jordanians work in Saudi Arabia and send money to their own country, which is much poorer. The Saudis also invest billions in all kinds of business projects in Jordan. It therefore does no harm for Saudi Arabia to have short lines of communication with the royal family in Amman.

The Jordanians are also happy with their future queen for another reason: she is Arab and comes from the cradle of Islam. Jordanians pride themselves on the fact that their royal family, the Hashemite royal house, are direct descendants of the prophet Mohammed. For conservative Jordanians, Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif’s marriage will feel like the right, traditional choice.

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