The Prince and Princess of Wales at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa of Jordan (Image: PA)
Royal pals of the Prince and Princess of Wales have welcomed the arrival of their first child.
Princess Rajwa of Jordan, the wife of Crown Prince Hussein, gave birth to a girl named Iman at the weekend – with a heartwarming video of new dad Hussein cradling his daughter posted to the Royal Family of Jordan’s official Instagram account. The little girl is the first grandchild of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Hussein and Rajwa married just over a year ago in a spectacular ceremony attended by royals from around the world, including William and Kate as well as Princess Beatrice, Kate’s mum Carole and her sister Pippa.
In a statement, the new baby’s birth was announced and it read: “The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein were blessed, on 3 August 2024, with a baby girl they named Iman.
“The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations and best wishes to Their Royal Highnesses and to Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah on this happy occasion. Their Royal Highnesses are immensely overjoyed and thankful on welcoming their firstborn, and call on well-wishers to consider donating to Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in lieu of sending gifts or flowers.”
William is known to be especially close to Hussein and last June he and Kate attended their first major royal international event when they were guests at their wedding. Kate wowed in a flowing dusky pink Elie Saab dress for the ceremony at Zahran Palace before changing into a glittering Jenny Packham gown and the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara for the glamorous evening celebrations.
Hussein, a graduate of the UK’s Sandhurst Military Academy, is known to have a close bond with Beatrice as well as William. In 2018, during a solo trip to Jordan, the Prince of Wales was hosted by Hussein and stopped by his then-swanky bachelor pad at the King’s residence of Beit al Urdun to watch a football match.
William and Kate greet the couple after their wedding last June
William had missed out on watching England’s emphatic victory over Panama in that year’s World Cup while travelling to the country – so the Crown Prince recorded it for him. Kensington Palace later shared a picture of William watching the rerun on a huge screen alongside Hussein as they reclined on a huge grey corner sofa. In addition, Hussein’s mum Queen Rania is a member of William’s Earthshot Prize Council.
Meanwhile, the country of Jordan is a special place for Kate, who lived there for three years as a young child. It came when her dad Michael Middleton was relocated there while working for British Airways – and Kate and sister Pippa attended a nursery there.
And in 2021, the couple took their children to Jordan for a private holiday, with a family snap at the ancient city of Petra from that getaway featuring on their Christmas card that year. It came after William promised to take his family to Jordan following his 2018 visit there. Hussein, heir to the throne of Jordan, announced his engagement to Rajwa in August 2022 although it is not known when they started dating or how they met. The bride is originally from Saudi Arabia and is a qualified architect after studying at Syracuse University in New York.
Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and his wife Princess Rajwa who have welcomed their first child ( Image: Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP via G)
She also spent time working in Los Angeles before her engagement, which was confirmed in a special ceremony. According to Prince Hussein’s website, he proposed at Rajwa’s family’s home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the presence of members of the royal family, including Hussein’s parents, Queen Rania and King Abdullah.
At her wedding last year, Rajwa wore two stunning wedding gowns, including one by Elie Saab and other guests included King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark, Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden and US First Lady Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley.
