Former President Uhuru Kenyatta graced the royal wedding of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdallah II and Miss Rajwah Khalid Alseif at Al Husseinieh Palace in Amman Jordan on June 1, 2023.
The former Head of State's communication team confirmed on Saturday that Uhuru was among the guests who attended the wedding graced by royals and other VIPs from around the world. Notably, the couples tied the knot on the same day Kenyans were celebrating the country's 60 years of self-rule, Madaraka Day.
Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdallah II, 28, married an architect and the daughter of a prominent Saudi family architect, Rajwa al-Saif, 29.
The wedding had a star-studded guest list, headlined by Britain’s Prince William, his wife Kate and US First Lady Jill Biden.
Aljazeera reports that the celebrations hold deep significance for Jordan, emphasising continuity in an Arab state prized for its longstanding stability and refreshing the monarchy’s image after a palace feud. It even could help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic bond with its oil-rich neighbour Saudi Arabia.
The bride, wearing an elegant white dress, arrived at Zahran Palace in a 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom V custom-made for the crown prince’s late great-grandmother. The crown prince arrived earlier in full ceremonial military uniform with a gold-hilted saber.
The families and their guests gathered in an open-air gazebo surrounded by landscaped gardens for a traditional Muslim wedding ceremony known as “katb al-ketab”. The crowd erupted in applause after the signing of the marriage contract.
Several kilometres away, a jolt went through a crowd gathered at an ancient Roman amphitheatre as they watched the couple seal their vows and exchange rings on a widescreen set up for the occasion. After several minutes of silence, thousands were on their feet, waving flags and shrieking with excitement at one of several viewing parties held across the nation.
Amara Aqrabawi, a 55-year-old mother watching the livestream with her daughter, said the ceremony was more impressive than she imagined. “I wish for all mothers and fathers in Jordan and in the world to feel like they’re surely feeling,” she said of the king and queen.
“This is an important day because he is our future king,” said Ahmad al-Masri, an 18-year-old attending with his family. “All of Jordan is watching.”
Jordan’s 11 million citizens have watched the young crown prince rise in prominence in recent years as he increasingly joined his father, King Abdullah II, in public appearances. Hussein has graduated from Georgetown University in the US, joined the military and gained some global recognition, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly. His wedding, experts said, marks his next crucial rite of passage.
“It’s not just a marriage. It’s the presentation of the future king of Jordan,” political analyst Amer Sabaileh said. “The issue of the crown prince has been closed.”
Additional reporting by Agencies.
