Jordan's Crown Prince to tie the knot with Saudi fiancee

CAIRO: Jordan is gearing up for the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and his Saudi fiancee Rajwa al-Seif on Thursday, reported German news agency.

The highly-anticipated celebration is set to take place at the Zahran Palace in Amman, which had seen the wedding of Hussein's parents, King Abdullah and Queen Rania, 30 years ago.

A procession will then take the newly-weds to another palace for the dinner reception.

Royals and dignitaries from all over the world are expected to attend. Public celebrations and concerts are scheduled throughout the day.

Hussein, born on June 28, 1994, is a captain in the Jordanian army. He was named crown prince in 2009, five years after Abdullah stripped his half-brother Hamzah of the title.

Riyadh-born Rajwa, 29, has a degree in architecture and likes horse riding. Her father, Khaled, is a businessman.

She has royal links through her mother Azza al-Sudairi, who comes from the same maternal family of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The nuptials come as a sign of stability for Jordan and a chance to rally people around the future king after a 2021 palace feud described as the most serious political crisis in Jordan since Abdullah took power.

The king's half-brother and former crown prince Hamzah was accused of being involved in an alleged coup attempt. However, Hamzah, never faced trial.

Jordan blamed "foreign parties" for involvement in the plot, but reports suggested Saudi involvement as the two men jailed by Amman for their role in the alleged plot had links to Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, the marriage is seen as a step to solidify relations between the two countries and their rulers.

-- BERNAMA