Inside Queen Rania's Relationship With King Abdullah II
When you think of a royal marriage, what words come to mind? Ill-fated? Unhappy? Doomed to divorce? You couldn't be blamed for associating royal couples with such negative connotations, considering royal husbands and wives have a long and storied history of being deeply unhappy in their marriages. From King Henry VIII's six wives – and subsequent divorces and beheadings — to Prince Charles and Princess Diana's raucous headline-making divorce in the 1990s, it might be surprising to hear that one royal couple has been going strong for 30 years and counting.
Far away from the foggy skies that loom over the English royal family, in the Middle Eastern nation of Jordan, reside Queen Rania and King Abdullah II. Though they may not be well known in the Western world, this royal power couple seems to be a true love match. With Queen Rania regularly posting family photos to her public Instagram account and opening up about her loving home life in interviews with the press, the king and queen of Jordan have surprised many with just how normal and healthy their marriage seems to be.
In addition to possessing a reputation as being an incredibly happy couple, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II also share the duties of being parents, royal dignitaries, and public figures. While the average individual will never have to balance the sort of workload and public scrutiny that a royal has to endure, a couple like Queen Rania and King Abdullah II can stand as role models for many.
It was love at first sight for Queen Rania and King Abdullah
Before she became a princess, Rania Al-Yassin was an ambitious young woman, primed for a successful corporate career. She was a new college graduate, having received a degree in business from the American University in Cairo, and already owned a resume that boasted impressive names like Citibank and Apple. However, the course of Rania's life changed in January 1993 when she met Prince Abdullah at a dinner party in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The two couldn't have come from more different origins. Prince Abdullah, the eldest son of Jordan's King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna, hailed from a background of privilege and comfort. Rania, on the other hand, had a turbulent beginning. She was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents and moved to Jordan in 1991 after the Gulf War. Having lived a life filled with conflict, there was no guarantee that Rania would find common ground with Prince Abdullah.
Surprisingly, though, the couple instantly connected. Years later, the now-King Abdullah would tell People (via Arab News), "The minute Rania walked in, I knew it right then and there. It was love at first sight." Rania would echo these romantic sentiments, recalling their first meeting with Stellar Magazine in 2016, saying, "He had such a great smile and such infectious energy. We got on really well. And the rest, as they say, is history."
They had a fairytale wedding
Only five months after meeting her young prince, Rania Al-Yassin said "I do." The two were wed in an opulent ceremony on June 10, 1993. The marriage of the nation's eldest prince was such a headline-making affair that the couple's wedding day was even declared a national holiday. Eager fans lined the streets the morning of their nuptials, while Prince Abdullah and soon-to-be Princess Rania rode in an open-top car to wave at the crowds.
Prince Abdullah wore a military uniform for the ceremony. By his side, for her (literal) crowning moment, Rania wore a billowing white gown fit with gold trim and a stand-out short-sleeve jacket. The young bride chose the British designer Bruce Oldfield to be the one to craft her wedding dress. Unlike any other royal wedding gown seen since, Rania's dress included wide lapels with gold detailing and a thick, eye-catching belt with a pearl-encrusted buckle. She also accessorized with drop-style pearl earrings and dainty white gloves.
In a surprising move, the new royal chose not to wear a tiara at her wedding but instead chose a simplistic, yet regal, white headband to keep her high bun and veil in place. It was truly a fairytale affair, with the new bride and groom dancing at a reception hosted at Zahran Palace following the ceremony. For this occasion, Princess Rania wore a smart V-neck dress also complete with short sleeves.
Queen Rania never expected to become queen
Despite marrying a member of Jordan's royal family, Rania never expected she would one day be queen. When the 22-year-old wed young Prince Abdullah of Jordan, she was marrying a man who had long been stricken from the official line of succession.
When Abdullah was three years old, his father, King Hussein, made the difficult decision to bypass his eldest son in the line of succession. With multiple threats being made on the king's life, advisors believed that having such a young child as the heir to the Jordanian throne was a dangerous position to be in. Convinced by his advisors, King Hussein officially changed the law in 1965 to name his own youngest brother, Prince Hassan, as the Crown Prince of Jordan. Hassan, who was 18 years old at the time, seemed like a more sensible option.
However, things took a turn in 1999 when King Hussein made a shocking decision on his deathbed. Knowing that he didn't have much longer to live, the king overturned his previous decision regarding the line of succession. Removing Prince Hassan from the line, the elderly king officially declared his son, Prince Abdullah, as the heir to the throne. Two weeks later, King Hussein passed away and the new reigning royals were King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. Afterward, Rania admitted, according to Oprah.com, "It was a big shock to me."
Queen Rania and King Abdullah have four children together
Queen Rania and King Abdullah II have come a long way since their early days as a couple and their royal-filled wedding ceremony in 1993. The couple are now parents to four children, with their first child being born just a year after their nuptials. Crown Prince Hussein — named after his grandfather, His Late Majesty King Hussein bin Talal — was born on June 28, 1994. Jordanian through and through, the eldest prince was born in the country's capital of Amman.
Not long after Prince Hussein's birth, the couple welcomed their second child and first daughter, Princess Iman, on September 27, 1996. The king and queen later welcomed another daughter, Princess Salma, and a second son, Prince Hashem. With four children, the royal household was surely once a bustling home. However, Queen Rania has since opened up about the experience of being an "empty nester."
Speaking on the "Today" show in 2023, Queen Rania said, "It's just scary how time flies, right? I mean, you know, as parents, I think it's our job to, you know, take care of our kids until they are old enough to go out into the world, but [that] doesn't make it easy when that day comes, actually." She added, "And, you know, in the span of three months, from the end of March to the beginning of June, I had two children get married and two graduate. I mean, what was I thinking?"
Queen Rania and King Abdullah have traveled the world together
As a working royal couple, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II are official representatives of the country of Jordan. Just as England's high-profile royal couple – Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales — are regularly spotted traveling all over the globe, Queen Rania and her king have also traveled the world together in the name of diplomacy.
Their globetrotting ways made headlines on one particular trip to Japan in 2018 when international fashion publications took notice of Queen Rania's chic travel attire. Following closely behind her husband as they descended the stairs of their private plane, the queen was photographed wearing a sophisticated fur coat, loose-fitting pants, and tinted sunglasses. Although the couple cut quite the cosmopolitan figure, their trip wasn't all fun and games. Rather, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II had traveled to Tokyo for a diplomatic visit with the Japanese Imperial Family. Queen Rania was invited to speak at the 2022 Paris Peace Forum where she advocated for action against climate change.
In addition to their diplomatic and advocacy work, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II have also collected an impressive number of air miles on international family vacations. The family of six hit the beach in the summer of 2003 when paparazzi caught the royals on holiday in sunny Majorca, Spain. The family also traveled off the beaten path when attending a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho in 2023.
Queen Rania sees herself as a wife and mother, not a politician
Being a royal woman can be a difficult spot to be in, especially in the modern day. No matter if you were born into the life or you married into it, being a woman who bears a royal title can lead to a bit of an identity crisis. Are you a diplomat? A politician? Nothing more than a fashion icon? Queen Rania is no exception to this internal struggle.
While being interviewed on "The View" in 2010, the Queen of Jordan said, "At the end of the day, I think of myself as a mother, as a wife, and you know you have the concerns that you have for your children, and you worry about whether they're doing well in school." However, that doesn't mean she's not aware of how odd her life may seem to the average person. She continued by saying, "I mean from the outside looking in, people are very mesmerized by the whole 'queen' thing, but for me, it's just everyday life."
"The whole queen thing," as Rania describes it, also demands that she spend some time away from her children traveling and advocating for humanitarian causes. In this vein, Queen Rania told Conde Nast Traveler in 2008, "I encourage women to balance both a home life and a career. As someone who juggles those tricky balls, I can tell you it isn't easy, but it is possible and it is very rewarding."
Queen Rania and King Abdullah support each other's work
With many a royal marriage ending in divorce, it's a pleasant surprise to hear that Queen Rania and her husband King Abdullah II have been going strong ever since their 1993 wedding. With four kids, an active travel schedule, and two busy careers, theirs is a relationship that likely takes a lot of maintenance. Not only have they stayed strong most likely thanks to a successful co-parenting scheme, but also because the king and queen support each other's work.
Throughout King Abdullah's travels, Queen Rania is never too far from his side. Whether it's a national ceremony or an official meeting with a foreign dignitary, the power couple almost always travel together. It's not uncommon for Queen Rania to take to her Instagram after an occasion to offer her support and express admiration for her husband. For example, when the king was invited to New York by The Washington Institute, where he was honored with the Scholar-Statesman Award in 2019, his wife posted a touching tribute on social media.
Queen Rania wrote, "I am always so proud and overwhelmed by people's love and admiration of Your Majesty around the world." (via Hello!) She added, "We're so blessed and lucky to have you!" Similarly, the king can often be seen participating in many of his wife's youth-focused humanitarian efforts. In 2019, he supported her in hosting an iftar celebration for a group of orphans in Jordan during Ramadan.
They married off two of their children
From marriage, births, and coronations, to the death of parents, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II have experienced many life milestones together. However, 2023 was an especially big year for them as they saw both of their eldest two children married off within months of each other. Princess Iman was the first to say "I do" on March 12 of that year. The 26-year-old wed walked down the aisle to venture capitalist Jameel Alexander Thermiotis during a beautiful ceremony held at the Beit Al Urdun Palace in Amman.
Next up was the princess's older brother and Queen Rania's firstborn, Crown Prince Hussein. The heir to the Jordanian throne wed his beloved, former architect, Rajwa Al Saif, in a June 2023 ceremony. The summer celebration was held in the bounteous gardens of Zahran Palace, which just so happened to be the same venue where his parents married back in 1993.
Both nuptials made international headlines, with fashion tabloids fawning over the gown choices of both brides. Princess Iman stunned in a traditional white gown designed by Dior, paired with a long, lace veil and the petite yet regal Chaumet tiara. As for Prince Hussein's Saudi Arabian bride, the now-Princess Rajwa opted for a bespoke white gown from the Lebanese fashion house icon Elie Saab. While many had speculated that the non-royal addition to the family may not wear a tiara to her wedding, Rajwa surprised the public by wearing a diadem.
They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2023
Not only did Queen Rania and King Abdullah II marry off two of their children in 2023, but the parents of four also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on June 10, 2023. With their eldest son's wedding taking place in the exact same venue and month as his parents, one can't help but wonder if the longtime couple didn't experience a little bit of déjà vu while attending Crown Prince Hussein's ceremony.
The king and queen had their lowkey anniversary celebration, however, following the grand ceremony that was Prince Hussein's wedding. Queen Rania took to Instagram closer to their anniversary to post a loved-up video featuring photos of herself and her husband from throughout the years. In the caption, she wrote, "Each passing day brings us closer, and each passing year shows me just how incredibly blessed I am to spend my life with you." She concluded by writing, "Happy 30th anniversary, my King."
While the couple kept the actual goings-on of their anniversary celebration private, Queen Rania did give her fans a sneak peek at how she and King Abdullah spent the momentous day. In a subsequent Instagram post, Queen Rania posted a photo of herself and her husband sitting together and smiling, followed by a close-up snap of a bouquet of flowers in a perfectly summery purple, green, and pink color scheme. As for a caption, Rania kept it simple with a short and sweet heart-shaped emoji.
They are looking forward to welcoming grandchildren
With the royal family expanding by two in 2023 — with both Prince Hussein and Princess Iman saying "I do" to their spouses — it's no surprise to hear that Queen Rania and King Abdullah II are eager to welcome grandchildren into their brood. Although the royal family has yet to make any announcement regarding a pregnancy from daughter Princess Iman or their daughter-in-law Princess Rajwa, Queen Rania has hinted at the fact that any baby news in the family would be more than welcome.
Speaking with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes on "Good Morning America," Queen Rania revealed that she was looking forward to becoming a grandmother. At the time, the queen was busy planning weddings for both her daughter and son, commenting, "It's so exciting. I mean, it's incredibly hectic, but the best kind of hectic. I couldn't have chosen better children-in-law."
While some mothers may be wishing for time to slow down, it seems Rania felt nothing but pride and anticipation for the future on the eves of her children's nuptials. She continued to say, "I think all of us as parents, you know, we want to see our kids grow up and become independent adults and share their life's journey with partners. And I'm so proud of the choices they made ... I used to always say my favorite title is 'mama,' but I think that's going to quickly change to 'teta' which is the Arabic word for 'grandma.'"
Queen Rania has marriage advice for others
Being a queen automatically makes you a role model to many and Queen Rania of Jordan is no exception. From everyday women trying to copy their fashion choices to little girls learning just how much they're capable of from their humanitarian efforts, royal women have a lot of people watching their every move. However, Queen Rania has a life that is enviable for another reason.
Not only is she a fashion icon and an outspoken advocate for those less fortunate than her, but the queen of Jordan is also one half of a relationship that many might describe as "couple goals." Having been married to King Abdullah II for several decades now, the success of her marriage is admirable indeed, especially considering how many royal divorces have unfolded in the public eye in the past.
When asked by Fox News Digital for any marriage advice, Queen Rania said, "Marriage is just like any other undertaking in life. You need to put in the work to make it work. You bring your best self to work at the beginning of each day, so bring that best self to your partner, too ... for the sake of the marriage and home you share but also the family you want to grow." She went on to offer "humble advice" to her married audience: "Show up, do your absolute best and don't forget to have a little fun while you're at it."