Jill Biden and more royals confirm attendance to royal wedding of the year

First Lady of the United States Jill Biden will be attending the wedding of the son of Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, Crown Prince Hussein, as he weds his long-term girlfriend, Rajwa Al Saif, on June 1. 

The first lady’s spokesperson confirmed her attendance on May 26, and shared that her visit will also include a number of stops across the Middle East and North Africa. Jill’s attendance comes after she and her husband, President Joe Biden, have built a long standing friendship with the Crown Prince’s parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. 

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The Crown Prince studied at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and when Joe was vice president between 2009 to 2017, he and King Abdullah II often met over breakfast. They have also met at least three times since Biden became president in 2021; twice at the White House and once in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

Other European royals confirmed for the special day include Belgium’s King Philippe and his 21-year-old daughter Princess Elisabeth. 

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A number of foreign royals have already confirmed their attendance, including  Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and Princess Hisakoa and Princess Tsuguko of Japan.

The Queen of Malaysia, Queen Azizah, also recently revealed that she would be at the service with her husband – and let slip the dress code on the day. She denied ongoing rumors it is a white tie event, revealing guests have been asked to wear black tie, long dresses – but no tiaras.

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However although the British royal family shares a close connection with the Jordanian royals it is unclear if the Prince and Princess of Wales may be in attendance.

The wedding between Hussein and Rajwa, a Saudi architect, will take place at the Zahran Palace in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Crown Prince Hussein, 28, is Rania’s eldest child and the heir to his father King Abdullah’s throne. 

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His nuptials will come less than three months after the marriage of his younger sister, Princess Iman, who tied the knot with Jameel Alexander “Jimmy” Thermiótis on 12 March.

Ahead of the big day Queen Rania shared stunning photographs from Rajwa’s traditional pre-wedding henna party, which took place at the Royal Hashemite Court’s Madareb Bani Hashem on Monday May 22. 

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In one image, the two women can be seen warmly embracing, a big smile on Rajwa’s face, while in another they can be seen walking together, hand in hand. A third image shows the Queen delivering a moving speech, with an emotional Rajwa seen dabbing her eyes with a napkin. 

Welcoming her guests, Queen Rania said, “I’m so happy that you could all be here to celebrate with us. Today is a special day for us, and to our entire Jordanian family: Our joy is one and the same… near or far, you are all in our hearts today.” 

Her Majesty explained that like any mother, she had always dreamed of Crown Prince Al Hussein’s wedding. “Al Hussein is your son as much as he is mine – you are his family and this is your celebration,” she added.

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