An Arab Royal Engagement

What the engagement of Jordan's Crown Prince means for the Arab World

RHC @RHCJO

The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce the engagement of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II to Ms Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif, and extends its sincere congratulations on this occasion

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan is engaged to Rajwa Al Saif, a Saudi national. This engagement carries enormous symbolism beyond just Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The Hashemite Royal Family belong to the Quraysh tribe. The Sharifs of Mecca and later kings of Hijaz, Jordan and Iraq (who could have gained Syria in 1920) are descended in the male line from Ali ibn Abi Talib, a descent shared with the royal families of Morocco, Libya, Yemen and numerous others. The line of the Sharifs of Mecca and of Jordan and Iraq is the Banu Qatada.

Given the history of the kingdoms of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the royal engagement carries great symbolic heft in tying Jordan and the GCC states closer together. A relationship of states, family lineages and tribes that has deep roots in antiquity and will be the bedrock of a stable, peaceful and prosperous future for the Arab World.