On 9 June 2024, the Jordanian royals celebrated King Abdallah’s Silver Jubilee, the 25th anniversary of the sovereign’s official investiture after the death of his father, King Hussein. For such a special occasion the Queen Rania, his daughters Iman and Salma and his daughter-in-law Rajwa, wife of the crown prince Husayn ibn Abdallah, wore outfits that refer to the history of the Hashemite dynasty, but above all to the reign of Abdallah. Their clothes are declarations of love addressed to Jordan and her people, but some details, from jewels to the choice of colours, could even be interpreted as not so veiled political references.
The portrait with the recycled dress
On the eve of the Silver Jubilee ceremony of King Abdallah the official social channels of the Hashemite dynasty have published a new official portrait of the royal couple. The sovereigns pose in front of the national flag and the Royal Standard of Jordan. Rania wears a simple black dress identical to the one she wore for the first portrait of her marking her accession to the throne in 1999. According to “Hello!” it would be precisely the same dress, on which the sash of the Order of al-Husayn bin Ali stands out (the most important in the country, founded in 1949 by King Abdallah I). What captures attention, however, is above all the Queen’s Arabic Scroll Tiara. A jewel of 20 carats and 1300 diamonds, donated by King Abdallah in 2005, which we have seen on his head only 3 times in 25 years (the first in 2006 at a state banquet in Holland, the second for the cover of Vanity Fair in 2008 and the third for Prince Husayn’s wedding in 2023). The peculiarity of the tiara lies in the design which looks like an arabesque, but actually forms an inscription in Arabic: “Hope from Allah”that is to say “prayer answered by Allah”.
Continuity and stability
Naturally, it is no coincidence that Rania chose the same dress she wore 25 years ago and that the royal couple chose a pose very similar to that of the first portrait: it is a sign of continuity and, consequently, stability of the kingdom. There Jordan it is located in the heart of the Near East, inevitably also at the center of the complex Arab-Israeli question. Especially in recent years it has wanted to present itself to the world as a moderate force, a mediating country in the conflict. Furthermore, King Abdallah has managed to maintain a certain level of stability within his kingdom and Rania has always presented herself as the modern Queen, champion of women’s rights, in a nation that she wants to look to the future. The couple, however, were not destined to sit on the throne of Jordan: in fact King Husayn (1935-1999) had designated his brother Hasan as his successor. Dissatisfied with the latter’s policy, however, on 24 January 1999 the monarch changed his mind and, surprisingly, nominated his son Abdallah heir to the throne.
A new kingdom
Ruler Husayn died on 7 February 1999, after 47 eventful years of reign, from Arab-Israeli conflict to the Cold War, from the energy crisis to the Gulf War. At the time Abdallah had been married to Rania for six years. The two, in fact, met at a dinner organized by the King’s sister in 1992 and married about a year later, on 10 June 1993. Together they carried out Husayn’s pro-Western policy, although there was no shortage of criticism of their actions and their lifestyle. In particular, Abdallah is accused of having drastically limited freedom of expression in Jordan, while his wife has often been defined as a spendthrift sovereign. One of the favorite targets of detractors, however, remains his Palestinian origins.
The celebrations for 25 years on the throne
For the ceremony in honor of King Abdallah’s Silver Jubilee, Queen Rania wore an emblematic outfit, by the Jordanian designer Laith Maalouf, which required 200 hours of work: a white dress with long balloon sleeves and a silver-colored bustier. The buttons on the shirt are seven like the points of the star depicted on the Jordanian flag, the color of the bodice refers to the 25 years of reign, but can also be interpreted as a symbol of defense, strength, power, unity, as he explained the designer. Ears of wheat are embroidered on her skirt, one of the symbols of Jordan, evidently a reference to prosperity. This design, Maalouf underlined, is also inspired by keffiyeh, traditional headgear in the agricultural environments of the Near East, which has become an emblem of the Palestinian struggle (in this regard, who doesn’t remember Yasser Arafat with his inseparable keffiyeh?). The sovereign also wore the Arabic Scroll Tiara, diamond ring and earrings by Cartier.
In defense of Jordan and Palestine
The Queen’s tiara is a clear reference to Islam and the Hashemite dynasty whose origins date back to the prophet Muhammad (to be precise, to Hashin ibn Abd Manaf, Muhammad’s great-grandfather). The symbol of the ears of wheat, then, immediately brings to mind the current situation in Gaza. Abdallah e Rania of Jordan they publicly offered their support to the Palestinian cause and aid, sent by air in the weeks following the resumption of the war. In October 2023 the sovereign gave an interview to CNN in which she accused the West of using “a double standard” towards Israelis and Palestinians: “When the October 7 attack occurred, the world immediately and unequivocally sided with Israel and its right to defend itself, condemning the attack…We were told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family with weapons, but is it okay to bomb them to death?”. The interview sparked a media uproar. Many have criticized Jordan for not welcoming Palestinian refugees, accusing the rulers of “living in luxury” disinterested in the fate of the Palestinian people.
The princess in red
Also present at the Silver Jubilee ceremony was Princess Rajwa, wife of Crown Prince Husayn of Jordan. The young woman, who is pregnant, chose a red dress by the Saudi designer and compatriot Honayda Serafi (Rajwa showed off another creation by the designer for her henna party, the traditional celebration before the wedding). Also in this case there are many references to Jordan, as the designer declared to Arab News: “…Red represents the Hashemite dynasty, [è] associated with strength and passion, it embodies royalty…”. The georgette fabric with which it is made “reflects the noble but strong personality of Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa al-Husayn.” The dress, as specified by Serafi, required 120 hours of work. It was embellished with decorations made in the colors of the Jordanian flag, namely red, black, white and green. Among these embroideries, another symbol of the nation stands out, the iris it represents “royalty, wisdom and hope”.
Iman and Salma
Rania and Abdallah’s daughters, Iman and Salma, also paid homage to their country and their origins through their clothes. Princess Iman wore a silver dress (clear reference to Jubilee) and belt with traditional embroidery by Edelina Joyce, designer of English, Palestinian and Jordanian origins.
Princess Salma, however, opted for a green outfit, the symbolic color of Islam and military uniforms (since 2020, in fact, Salma is the first Jordanian female pilot enlisted in the nation’s Armed Forces) from the Reemami brand with decorations inspired with black iris, petunia and red coronaria, typical Jordanian flowers.
