Amman, May 27, 2004
Bride and Groom
Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein of Jordan is the eldest son of the late King Hussein bin Talal and Queen Noor of Jordan. He was born in Amman on March 29, 1980. Princess Noor Al-Hamzah is the daughter of Prince Asem bin Nayef and Princess Firouzeh. She was born in Amman on October 6, 1982. The couple was married in a private ceremony at Al Baraka Palace, Amman, on August 29, 2003. The official wedding ceremony was held in Amman on May 27, 2004. The couple has known each other for years, mainly through family events. Though politically effective, their marriage is not arranged. "They are deeply in love," one relative said. The couple lives in the USA at the moment.
May 26
On May 24 Crown Prince Pg Muda Hadji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Prince Abdul Qawi of Brunei Darussalam already arrived in Jordan. They were welcomed at the airport by Crown Prince Hamzah and Walid Al-Kurdi, husband of Princess Basma. Most guests arrived on May 26. Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Irene of Greece were welcomed at the airport by Queen Noor Al-Hussein, Prince Faisal and Princess Alia Al Faisal of Jordan. Prince Faisal and Princess Alia also welcomed former Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran and the Duke of York. Also Prince Salman bin Abdel Aziz Emir of Riyadh arrived and was welcomed by Prince Faisal.
Around 4000 guests - mainly men, although some women were invited - were invited for a mansaf (Jordan's most popular meal) with a traditional dessert, kanafeh, at the Royal Court on the occasion of the wedding. The guests were greeted by Prince Faisal, Prince Hamzah and Prince Hashem. Also attending were Prince Raad bin Zeid, Prince Ghazi bin Mohammad and the father of the bride. Other guests were senior officials, dignitaries, representatives of private organisations, members of the diplomatic corps and tribal leaders. The guests were escorted to seats in bedouin tents. King Abdullah II of Jordan greeted the crowd.
May 27
Today some more guests arrived for the wedding. Among them was Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam. He was received by Walid Al Kurdi. Mr Al Kurdi later on held a lunch in honour of the Sultan, which was attended by King Abdullah II. Today also Queen Fabiola of Belgium, Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium arrived. They were received at the airport by Prince Faisal and Princess Alia Al Faisal. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg was welcomed by Princess Alia Al Faisal. Prince Faisal and Princess Alia also welcomed the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Prince Hashem welcomed Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, son of the Emir of Qatar. Crown Prince Hamzah and Prince Hashem greeted Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, and his wife.
Crown Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor Hamzah set off at 19:00 in the evening - one hour later than had been announced - in a motorcade from the Raghadan court complex to Zahran Palace in the west of Amman. Crown Prince Hamzah wore his military uniform, his head covered in a traditional red-white chequered keffieh. Princess Noor wore a white lace dress and a white lace mantilla covered her head. They drove in a cream-coloured open-topped 1961 Lincoln Continental preceeded by motorcyles and two dozen of red Jeeps. The car is traditionally used in ceremonial functions, including the weddings of King Abdullah and King Hussein, and was taken out of the Royal Car Museum to make the 10-kilometer route. Hundreds of well wishers lined the route to wave at the royal couple, applauding them and throwing fistfuls of rose petals at the car. The royal couple frequently stood-up in the back of the car to wave at the crowd. However the motorcade did not tour Amman, as in past weddings as Crown Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor had decided in favour of a low-key wedding. A court official said: "The crown prince is not in a very festive mood because of the situations in (neighbouring) Iraq and Palestine, so this will be a formal affair to meet his guests, both Jordanian and foreigners." He added: "He has taken off most items related to the reception, including the motorcade through town, and is insisting that festivities be kept to a minimum."
The royal couple arrived at Zahran Palace - where also the groom's parents, the late King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan and Lisa Halaby, now Queen Noor married in 1978 - and were accorded an honor guard welcome as an army orchestra played the national anthem and classical Western music. At the palace they were greeted by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, as well as Queen Noor. Almost all members of the Jordanian Royal Family were present. The royal couple, together with King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and the parents of the bride, received congratulations in a reception room inside the palace.
Afterwards the couple crossed a wooden platform that was built atop an arabesque water fountain at the palace and walked under an arch of swords formed by 14 army officers. On a simple round table covered in white satin a three-tier white wedding cake, surrounded by a green wreath, stood. The couple cut the cake with a silver sword. About 2500 guests attended the reception at the Rose Garden. Guests were served mansaf, a popular local dish of rice and lamb eaten with the right hand, followed by the traditional kanafeh desert. The Jordan Armed Forces orchestra offered a colourful repertoire which complemented the bountiful garlands of roses hanging from garden pillars and rose petals floating in a pond. Lebanese singer Majda Roumi sang a special song for the couple during the ceremony.
Among the guests were the royals already mentioned, as well as Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Infanta Cristina of Spain, Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Prince Shihab Ben Tareq Al Said of Oman.
May 28 and 29
On Friday May 28 King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan hosted a banquet at the Royal Palace in Aqaba on the occasion of the wedding. Several royals were among the 200 invited guests, including King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, as well as Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam. After the banquet a ball took place. On Saturday May 29 foreign guests toured Wadi Rum and Petra.